MELBOURNE, Aug 4 — Isaac Cooper, a former world champion and Olympic medalist, has voluntarily stepped down from the leadership group of Australia's swim team after missing a team meeting and the final night of competition at the Commonwealth Games, Swimming Australia announced on Tuesday.

Cooper, 22, who helped Australia secure the 4x100m medley gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, did not compete on the final night but was expected by team management to support his teammates. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Cooper was out drinking in Glasgow on that night, citing sources familiar with the situation.

Swimming Australia stated that Cooper had failed to meet team expectations and therefore stood down from the team's Athlete Leadership Group. This withdrawal comes four years after Cooper was sent home from a training camp ahead of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games due to misuse of prescription medicine and wellbeing concerns.

Cooper won the 50m backstroke gold at the 2024 World Championships in Doha and earned an Olympic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games as part of Australia's mixed medley relay team when he was 17 years old.

Swimming Australia expressed support for Cooper's future competitions, saying, "We look forward to watching Isaac compete at this month's Pan Pacific Championships."

Cooper and his management did not provide immediate comment when contacted.

Sources