7 things to know about swimmer Ariarne Titmus
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Australia's Ariarne Titmus competing in a heat of the women's 800m freestyle during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
PHOTO: AFP
Olivia Oh
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On Oct 16, Australian four-gold Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus shocked the swimming world when she announced that she has retired from competitive swimming
She bows out as one of Australia’s most decorated athletes with eight Olympic medals and four long-course world titles.
Here are seven things to know about the middle-distance swimmer.
1. Her first love
While Titmus is known for her success in the pool, her first love was horses. Having grown up riding ponies on her family farm in Tasmania, she is also a keen equestrienne. She competed in dressage and show jumping competitions from the age of seven before deciding to focus on swimming.
2. Rock ‘n’ roll girl?
Before every race, Titmus listens to her mother’s 80s rock playlist. In a 2020 interview with the Olympic Channel, she said that although she is not usually a fan of the genre, listening to loud rock tunes before a race somehow gets her going. “I’m a little bit superstitious in the sense that I try to create the same routine before I race so I like to keep that the same,” she said.
3. A family move for her dream
Titmus was born and raised in Launceston, Tasmania, before her family moved to Brisbane when she was 14 to further her swimming career. Her parents quit their jobs and sold a 16 acre property on the Tamar River in order to make the move.
4. Her hometown pool carries her name
The city of Launceston officially renamed its competition pool at the Launceston Leisure and Aquatic Centre after Titmus in 2022 to honour the Olympic and world champion. She started training at the centre when she was 11, and continued to train there before she moved to Brisbane.
5. She is a Nadal fan
Titmus is a massive fan of former professional tennis player Rafael Nadal. In a 2024 interview with Tennis Australia, she said she grew up watching the Australian Open on television and was obsessed with the tennis player when she was younger. “His fight and determination is something that I aspire to have. Even though he’s not a swimmer, he’s definitely my sporting idol,” she said.
6. Hard work pays off
Swimmers typically have naturally broad shoulders and powerful limbs - though Titmus was an exception. “I was always quite a finely built girl,” she told Olympic Channel’s Incoming Call in 2020, revealing how some naysayers did not think she would be successful at swimming.
“I got where I am because I trained really hard from such a young age,” said the four-time Olympic champion.
7. An unbreakable bond
Ariarne Titmus and swimming coach Dean Boxall have formed a special bond over the years, having been coached by him since she was 15. In a 2024 interview with ABC Radio Hobart, Titmus said he is “one of my best friends”. She noted that he can read her better than anyone, and is “kind of the person that can tap into what’s going on in my mind and helps me gear up to race”.
This unique bond between the pair has proven to be a winning formula, with Boxall’s insight helping steer Titmus to multiple Olympic and world championship victories.
