Ariarne Titmus
Australian swimmer (born 2000)
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Ariarne Elizabeth Titmus OAM (born 7 September 2000) is a retired Australian swimmer. She is the reigning Olympic champion in the women's 400-metre freestyle, having won the event at the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2024 Summer Olympics and the world record holder in the long course 200-metre freestyle. Titmus is widely considered one of the greatest middle-distance swimmers of all time.[4] In 2019 and 2020, she competed representing the Cali Condors in the International Swimming League.
Background
In 2015, when Titmus was 14 years old, she and her family, including father Steve Titmus, moved from Tasmania to Queensland for better training opportunities.[5] She initially attended secondary school at St Patrick's College Launceston[6] before switching to St Peter's Lutheran College in Brisbane.[7] Titmus first trained as a swimmer at Launceston Leisure and Aquatic Centre. She is coached by Dean Boxall, who formerly coached Stephanie Rice and Leisel Jones.[8] Titmus is a supporter of the Hawthorn Hawks in the Australian Football League.[9]
Career
At the 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, held in August in Hawaii, United States, Titmus won a silver medal in the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, splitting a 2:00.13 for the lead-off leg of the relay to contribute to the final time of 8:05.43, and a bronze medal in the 400 metre freestyle with a time of 4:09.81, which was 2.29 seconds behind gold medallist Li Bingjie of China.[10]
Titmus competed in the women's 200-metre freestyle event at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, finishing in 17th place.[11][12]
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Titmus won three gold medals; in the 400 metre freestyle, 800 metre freestyle and the 4 x 200-metre freestyle relay. She also won a silver medal in the 200 metre freestyle.
On 14 December 2018, Titmus set a new world record and won a gold medal in the women's short course 400-metre freestyle competition of the 2018 FINA World Swimming Championships with a time of 3:53.92, breaking the record set by Wang Jianjiahe two months earlier by 0.05 seconds. She won a further gold medal in the 200 metre freestyle and two bronze medals in relay events at this competition.
Titmus was selected as one of the 27 swimmers to represent Australia at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. After finishing second in her heat of the women's 400-metre freestyle, she won the gold medal and broke the Oceania record in the final with a time of 3:58.76, a full second ahead of American swimmer Katie Ledecky.[13] In the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay the Australian team broke the world record setting a time of 7:41.50 with Titmus swimming the first leg.[14]
In 2019, Titmus was a member of the inaugural International Swimming League, representing the Cali Condors, who finished in third place in the final match in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December. Titmus won the 400-metre freestyle several times throughout the season, including the final.[15]
In 2021, Titmus won two gold medals for Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Posting a time of 3:56.69 in the 400-metre freestyle final, she edged out world record holder Ledecky by less than a second.[16][17] Posting a new Olympic Record of 1:53.50 in the 200-metre freestyle final, she trailed behind Hong Kong's Siobhán Haughey for most of the race then came home strongly to push herself in front on the last lap. Titmus earned a silver medal in the 800-metre freestyle final, this time finishing 1.26 seconds behind Katie Ledecky.[18] Titmus was also part of the relay team that won bronze in the 4 × 200 metre women's freestyle relay, finishing behind China and the US.[19]
At the 2022 Australian Swimming Championships in May, Titmus set a new world record in the long course 400-metre freestyle with a time of 3:56.40, breaking the former record of 3:56.46 set by Katie Ledecky in 2016.[20][21][22] She lost the record to Summer McIntosh in 2023,[23] before regaining it at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships with a time of 3:55.38.[24]
At the 2024 Australian Swimming Trials in June, Titmus set a new world record in the long course 200-metre freestyle with a time of 1:52.23, breaking the former record of 1:52.85 set by Mollie O'Callaghan in 2023.[25][26]
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Titmus won Gold in the Women's 400 metres freestyle, finishing ahead of Canadian Summer McIntosh and American Katie Ledecky. On 16 October 2025, Titmus announced her retirement from swimming at the age of 25.[27]
Results in major championships
Career best times
Long course metres (50 m pool)
- As of 1 December 2025
| Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle | 26.08 | Australian Championships | Adelaide, Australia | 18 May 2022 | |
| 100 m freestyle | 53.68 | Australian Championships | Adelaide, Australia | 18 May 2022 | |
| 200 m freestyle | 1:52.23 | Australian Trials | Brisbane, Australia | 12 June 2024 | WR |
| 400 m freestyle | 3:55.38 | World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan | 23 July 2023 | OC[A] |
| 800 m freestyle | 8:12.29 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 3 August 2024 | [C] |
| 1500 m freestyle | 16:09.87 | Pan Pacific Championships Trials | Adelaide, Australia | 30 June 2018 | |
| 400 m individual medley | 4:46.61 | Pan Pacific Championships Trials | Adelaide, Australia | 1 July 2018 |
Records not set in finals: h – heat;
Short course metres (25 m pool)
- As of 1 December 2025
| Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle | 26.43 | World Championships | Hangzhou, China | 15 December 2018 | |
| 100 m freestyle | 53.32 | International Swimming League | Las Vegas, United States | 20 December 2019 | |
| 200 m freestyle | 1:51.38 | World Championships | Hangzhou, China | 11 December 2018 | [B] |
| 400 m freestyle | 3:53.92 | World Championships | Hangzhou, China | 14 December 2018 | [A] |
| 800 m freestyle | 8:13.41 | Australian Championships | Melbourne, Australia | 25 October 2018 |
Records not set in finals: h – heat;
Notes
World records
Long course metres
| No. | Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Status | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4x200 m freestyle relay[a] | 7:41.50 | 2019 World Aquatic Championships | Gwangju, South Korea | 25 July 2019 | Former | [14] |
| 2 | 400 m freestyle | 3:56.40 | 2022 Australian Swimming Championships | Adelaide, Australia | 22 May 2022 | Former | [20][21][22] |
| 3 | 4x200 m freestyle relay[b] | 7:39.29 | 2022 Commonwealth Games | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 31 July 2022 | Former | [28] |
| 4 | 400 m freestyle | 3:55.38 | 2023 World Aquatics Championships | Fukuoka, Japan | 23 July 2023 | Former | [29][30] |
| 5 | 4x200 m freestyle relay[c] | 7:37.50 | 2023 World Aquatics Championships | Fukuoka, Japan | 27 July 2023 | Current | [31] |
| 6 | 200 m freestyle | 1:52.23 | 2024 Australian Swimming Trials | Brisbane, Australia | 12 June 2024 | Current | [25] |
a split 1:54.27 (1st leg); with Madison Wilson (2nd leg), Brianna Throssell (3rd leg), Emma McKeon (4th leg)
b split 1:52.82 (4th leg); with Madison Wilson (1st leg), Kiah Melverton (2nd leg), Mollie O'Callaghan (3rd leg)
c split 1:52.41 (4th leg); with Mollie O'Callaghan (1st leg), Shayna Jack (2nd leg), Brianna Throssell (3rd leg)
Short course metres
| No. | Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Status | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 400 m freestyle | 3:53.92 | 2018 World Championships (25 m) | Hangzhou, China | 14 December 2018 | Former | [32] |
Olympic records
Long course metres
| No. | Event | Time | Meet | Location | Date | Status | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 200 m freestyle | 1:53.50 | 2020 Summer Olympics | Tokyo, Japan | 28 July 2021 | Former | [33] |
| 2 | 4x200 m freestyle relay[a] | 7:38.08 | 2024 Summer Olympics | Paris, France | 1 August 2024 | Current | [34] |
Records not set in finals: h – heat;
a split 1:52.95 (4th leg) with Mollie O'Callaghan (1st leg), Lani Pallister (2nd leg), Brianna Throssell (3rd leg)
Awards and honours
- Swimming Australia, Swimmer of the Year: 2019[35]
- Swimming Australia, Short Course Swimmer of the Year: 2019[35]
- Swimming Australia, Patron's Award: 2019[35]
- SwimSwam, Top 100 (Women's): 2021 (#10),[36] 2022 (#3)[37]
- Olympics.com, Top 5 Moments: Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics (#1)[38]
- Medal of the Order of Australia, 2022[39]
- Nominee for Laureus World Sports Award in Breakthrough of the Year: 2022[40]
- Launceston City Council name Aquatic Centre competition pool – Ariarne Titmus Competition Pool.[41]
- Nike commission large mural at the Launceston Aquatic Centre by artist Josh Foley.[42]
