McCormack was left off the Australia Olympic Team for the 2000 Sydney Olympics despite being the highest Australian on the world rankings (number 3). He left Australia for the US, moving away from the ITU World Cup racing and into the U.S. racing scene. McCormack would remain undefeated in the US for 3 years and 33 consecutive triathlon races. He won the 2001 Goodwill Games race against the top 30 athletes in the world and made clear his disapproval of Australian selector's decisions to leave him off the Olympic Team, dominating short course triathlon racing in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He was picked for the Australian Team to represent at the Commonwealth Games in England in 2002, and won 3 Triathlete of the Year awards for his racing during this period.