The world’s best swimmer, Ariarne Titmus won’t be going to the world championships, missing an opportunity to go against her rival Katie Ledecky. Although she is in the best form of her career and was handed the opportunity of a rematch with Ledecky, Titmus chose not to attend the most important swim event of the year. Why did Titmus make this strange decision? She simply didn’t feel like going.
In 2019, Titmus rose to the top after defeating Ledecky in the 400-meter freestyle, winning gold even though Ledecky had been a 15-time champion. Titmus also beat Ledecky in the 200- and 400-meter freestyle events two years later at the Tokyo Olympics. Having beaten Ledecky, she became the new best middle-distance swimmer. Alternatively, Titmus will participate in the Commonwealth Games, which does not guarantee her a match with Ledecky. This could mean there will be scarcely any races between the two until the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. Dean Boxall, Titmus’s coach, trusts that she made the right decision, putting her all into the 2024 Olympic games.
Titmus was born in Launceston, Tasmania, an island near Australia. She began swimming at a young age and started racing with her swim club at just seven years old. She advanced quickly and was soon on the national team. However, Titmus faced difficulties with her next step. She had trouble finding swimming facilities and the coaches she needed to reach an elite level in Tasmania. So, Titmus’s parents decided to move to support their daughter. Titmus agreed to this decision after making the Australian team for the Junior World Championships in 2015 when she realized this was the necessary choice to make to chase her dreams. Titmus and her family moved to Brisbane, Queensland. Titmus trained hard, slowly becoming as good as Ledecky, who had already started winning Olympic medals.
Titmus won her first important medal in the 2017 world championships. Two years later, she beat Ledecky as the 400-meter world champion. In addition, Titmus beat Ledecky in the 400-meter freestyle in Tokyo. She let Ledecky go fast at first and then leveled with her around two laps in, giving it her all in the final turn.
Titmus’s choice on the matter wasn’t because of Ledecky. “I don’t focus too much on other people,” Titmus says, “I really just worry about myself.”
In 2019, Titmus rose to the top after defeating Ledecky in the 400-meter freestyle, winning gold even though Ledecky had been a 15-time champion. Titmus also beat Ledecky in the 200- and 400-meter freestyle events two years later at the Tokyo Olympics. Having beaten Ledecky, she became the new best middle-distance swimmer. Alternatively, Titmus will participate in the Commonwealth Games, which does not guarantee her a match with Ledecky. This could mean there will be scarcely any races between the two until the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. Dean Boxall, Titmus’s coach, trusts that she made the right decision, putting her all into the 2024 Olympic games.
Titmus was born in Launceston, Tasmania, an island near Australia. She began swimming at a young age and started racing with her swim club at just seven years old. She advanced quickly and was soon on the national team. However, Titmus faced difficulties with her next step. She had trouble finding swimming facilities and the coaches she needed to reach an elite level in Tasmania. So, Titmus’s parents decided to move to support their daughter. Titmus agreed to this decision after making the Australian team for the Junior World Championships in 2015 when she realized this was the necessary choice to make to chase her dreams. Titmus and her family moved to Brisbane, Queensland. Titmus trained hard, slowly becoming as good as Ledecky, who had already started winning Olympic medals.
Titmus won her first important medal in the 2017 world championships. Two years later, she beat Ledecky as the 400-meter world champion. In addition, Titmus beat Ledecky in the 400-meter freestyle in Tokyo. She let Ledecky go fast at first and then leveled with her around two laps in, giving it her all in the final turn.
Titmus’s choice on the matter wasn’t because of Ledecky. “I don’t focus too much on other people,” Titmus says, “I really just worry about myself.”
