Aussie Swim Queen Ariarne Titmus Calls Time On Glittering Career: Retires From Swimming At Age 25
Aussie swim queen Ariarne Titmus OAM has today officially announced her retirement from all levels of swimming.
The four-time Olympic gold medallist and current 200m world record holder hangs up her Speedos after a staggering haul of 33 international medals including eight Olympic medals (four gold; three silver and one bronze); nine World Championship medals (four gold; two silver and three bronze) and eight Commonwealth Games medals (seven gold and one bronze).
The 25-year-old, dubbed “Arnie The Terminator” after her breakthrough Olympic performance in Tokyo, retires as one of the greatest distance swimmers of all time.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Titmus achieved an historic third individual Olympic gold medal, defending her 400m freestyle title in “The Race Of The Century’, where she defeated the other two previous world record holders of this event – American all-time great Katie Ledecky, and Canadian swimming prodigy Summer McIntosh.
In doing so, Titmus became the first Australian athlete since Dawn Fraser in 1964, to win back-to-back gold medals in the same event.
Born and bred in Tasmania, whose family left “The Apple Isle” to give their daughter an opportunity to pursue her swimming dreams, unearthing a phenomena who chased those dreams with coach Dean Boxall at the Brisbane-based St Peters Western Swim Club program in Indooroopilly – her “leave no stone unturned and all or nothing” attitude saw her conquer the mountain time and time again.
In a tell-all and at times emotional retirement interview, “Arnie” gives a thought provoking insight into the little girl who left Tasmania to set her sights on Olympic gold – something she admits was probably out of her reach..but the goal to be the best and to chase Katie Ledecky “The GOAT” who she praises for her pursuits…and reveals the toll of her health scare and a what’s next in a life about to re-start at aged 25.
What a true champion you have been both in and out of the pool Arnie….Thanks for the memories !
Brief career snapshot below:
Ariarne Titmus: Dolphin #778
- Four-time Olympic gold medallist
- Two-time Olympian
- Reigning Olympic champion in the women’s 400m
- Current 200m freestyle world record holder (1:52.23)
- At 2024 Australian Selection Trials, Titmus become the first Australian woman since Shane Gould in 1972 to concurrently hold the 200m and 400m free world records
- Member of the 4x200m freestyle team that holds the world record.
- At the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games became the second swimmer to claim the 200, 400 and 800m freestyle treble at a Commonwealth Games – all in Games records.
- Nominated for the 2025 Laureus World Comeback of the Year award for her performance at the 2024 Olympics after recovering from a surgery to remove an ovarian tumour
Photos Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia 
