Australia’s Ariarne Titmus still ‘playing catch-up’ for Paris Olympics
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Ariarne Titmus said she was glad to get the surgery out of the way in September after doctors found benign tumours on her ovaries.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MELBOURNE – Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus says she is still behind the curve with her Paris 2024 preparations after a layoff to have ovarian surgery.
Returning to competition for the first time since July at the Queensland state championships, Titmus came second behind world record holder Mollie O’Callaghan in the 200m freestyle final at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre on Dec 10.
The Tokyo Olympics 200m and 400m free champion said she was glad to get the surgery out of the way in September after doctors found benign tumours in her ovaries.
However, she said she had little time to waste ahead of defending her titles at the July 26-Aug 11 Summer Games in France.
“I’m really playing catch-up at the moment, trying to put in as much work as I can, so I’m pretty buggered racing here,” the 400m free world record holder told Australian media.
“I know I’m on my way back and I can’t read too much into my swims here.
“I definitely have time, but I don’t have time to waste. I probably think I’m actually in a better position now than I thought I would be.”
Titmus, 23, revealed she had successful surgery on social media in September, describing how she was “petrified” about losing the ability to have children before going into surgery.
On Dec 10, she said she was “freaking out” in hospital after nurses asked for photos with her, and decided to go public with the surgery over concern it would be leaked elsewhere.
“I’d rather just put it out there and use it as an opportunity to create the conversation for people who might be going through the same thing,” said Titmus.
“You never think when you go into hospital for an operation, and you’re in your surgical gown, that people are going to ask you for a photo.
“That’s what pushed me to say something, because I wanted to speak to it on my terms and not have it come out through someone else.”
Meanwhile, Irishman Daniel Wiffen won his third gold medal at the European short course swimming championships on Dec 10, breaking the world record in the 800m free which had stood for 15 years.
Wiffen eclipsed Australian Grant Hackett’s mark set in 2008 by almost three seconds, clocking 7min 20.46sec to smash the sport’s oldest world record.
The 22-year-old added the 800m title to the golds he claimed earlier last week in Otopeni, Romania in the 400m and 1,500m free.
REUTERS, AFP
