Ariarne Titmus was trained by Dean Boxall in Brisbane
The girl from Tasmania shocks everyone: she retires. Ariarne Titmus goes from the year off to the announcement of a retirement, which is “a really difficult decision to make but one that I’m happy about” at 25 years old and after having said that she wanted to aim for the 2028 Games. “I’ve always loved swimming, it’s been my passion since I was a child. But I think I’ve taken this period away from sport and I’ve understood that some things in my life, which have always been important to me, are now just a little more important than swimming, and that’s okay Like this.” Titmus won gold in the 400 freestyle at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, but lost her world record to Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh earlier this year. Arnie remains the holder of the world record in the 200 freestyle which he took from his training partner Mollie O’Callaghan (the one who erased the record of Fede Pellegrini in 2023, who won the world gold in 2019 beating Titmus).
The 200 freestyle podium at the 2019 World Championships: from left Ariarne Titmus, Federica Pellegrini and Sarah Sjostrom
“I always thought about coming back – added the Australian -. I never thought that Paris would be my last Olympics. And knowing now what I know, I wish I had appreciated that last race a little more.” Titmus retires with a haul of 33 international medals, including eight at the Olympics (4-3-1), nine at the world championships (4-2-3) and eight at the Commonwealth Games (7-1-0). The 25-year-old, nicknamed the Terminator and one of the strongest freestylers from 200 to 800, put an end to American Katie Ledecky’s Olympic unbeaten run in Tokyo and climbed onto the podium in the 800 with Ledecky and Simona Quadarella. At Paris 2024, Titmus won the third individual gold in what was defined as “the race of the century” against Katie Ledecky and the Canadian swimming prodigy Summer McIntosh, who last June 7 took away the world record for the 400 in 3’54″18 which she had held since 2023 in 3’55″38. She became the first Australian since Dawn Fraser in 1964 to win two consecutive gold medals in the same event.
Before Paris, Titmus underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor on her ovaries and said the health issue “really shook me up mentally. There came a time when I knew I had changed my mind, it was in the run-up to the Paris Games. It was probably the first time I considered things outside of swimming. My whole swimming career, I’ve been all or nothing, and that’s how I had to be to become the athlete I am. But I think as I delved into these health challenges, I had to really look inside myself and think about what’s most important to me, beyond swimming. Besides swimming, I have always had goals in my personal life. More than anything, I’m excited for what the future holds.”
Arianne Titmus in the Ocean
She was trained in Brisbane by Dean Boxall. From Westmont, where she is for the World Cup, Kaylee McKeown, 5 gold medalists at the Games, honors her: “You are incredible. It was a privilege to have seen a living legend of this sport.” Mollie O’Callaghan, Olympic 200m freestyle champion, said she was “grateful to have trained alongside him”, while sprint king Kyle Chalmers added: “I’m proud of you. You’re a legend in and out of the pool.”
Ariarne initially posted the news as a letter to her seven-year-old self: “Today you retire from competitive swimming. You spent 18 years in the pool competing, 10 of them representing your country. You competed in two Olympics and, even better, you won! The dreams you had, they all came true. You achieved more than you ever thought you could and you should be so proud.” He added that perhaps he should have enjoyed his latest Olympic victory more. In a post, Swimming Australia congratulated Titmus for her “unwavering dedication to swimming in Australia and inspiring us around the world.”
The women’s 200m freestyle podium at the 2023 World Championships: from left Ariarna Titmus, Mollie O’Callaghan, Summer McIntosh
A summary of his career /