Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus shocks sporting world with heartfelt retirement announcement

Ariarne Titmus has announced her retirement from competitive swimming at the age of 25, effective immediately. 

The four-time Olympic gold medallist is the current 200m freestyle world record holder but has opted to step away after a staggering haul of 33 international medals, including eight Olympic medals (4 gold -3 silver-1 bronze), nine World Championship medals (4-2-3) and eight Commonwealth Games medals (7-1-0).

“I always intended to return,” Titmus said in her retirement video on Instagram.

She described the decision as a “really tough one, but one that I’m really happy with.”

“I never thought Paris would be my last Olympic Games,” Titmus said.

“Knowing what I know, I wish I maybe enjoyed that last race a little bit more.

“Having these 12 months away, I’ve really had the chance to explore what life’s like without swimming. That was always my intention.

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“I love swimming, I’ve always loved swimming. It’s been my passion since I was a little girl.

“But I’ve taken some time away from the sport and realized some things in my life that have always been important to me are just a little bit more important to me now than swimming.

Titmus became a household name when she won the 400m freestyle gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, dethroning American legend Katie Ledecky.

Her relationship with her coach, Dean Boxall, took Australian swimming to new heights and saw Titmus shatter the 400m world record on several occasions. She is the current world record holder in the 200m freestyle.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Titmus achieved a historic third individual Olympic gold medal, winning the 400m freestyle in the race dubbed ‘the race of the century,’ where she defeated the other two previous world record holders of this event – Katie Ledecky and Canadian swimming prodigy Summer McIntosh.

Her retirement means we won’t see another showdown between Titmus, Ledecky, and McIntosh in the 400m or a clash against training partner Mollie O’Callaghan in the 200m freestyle.

It’s a massive blow to the Australian swim team heading towards the 2028 LA Olympics.

“Today you retire from competitive swimming,” Titmus wrote on Instagram. 

“18 years you spent in the pool competing. 10 of those representing your country. You went to two Olympic Games and, even better, you won!!!

“The dreams you had … they all came true. The friends you’ve made … they’re for life. You achieved more than you ever thought you were capable of, and you should be so proud.”

Titmus follows in the footsteps of another great Australian sporting champion, Ash Barty, who was also 25 years old when she retired from tennis in 2022.

Titmus has taken time away from swimming since the Paris Olympics to pursue other passions outside of the pool and has decided there is nothing left for her to achieve.

She was part of Channel 9’s commentary team for this year’s world swimming championships, and was this week announced as one of the celebrities who’ll take part in the network’s new reality show next year that involves the contestants swimming with sharks.

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Titmus: ‘I’ve always wanted to be a mom’

Titmus, who went public with her relationship with her boyfriend earlier this year, has been open about wanting to have children, sharing her experience about having benign tumors removed from her ovary in September 2023.

“It put a lot of things into perspective for me,” Titmus told the Inherited podcast last year.

“My body isn’t just a vehicle to train; my body’s purpose, really, is to carry a child one day.

“And that really hit home to me, it made me realise how much I want to be a mom, and it made swimming almost seem a bit irrelevant at the time.”

Titmus, one of Australia’s greatest ever swimmers, said she would give up all her success in the pool to be a mom one day.

“I’ve always wanted to be a mom, but it probably made me realise how much I want it,” she said.

“I would give up every gold medal I’ve ever won to have a child.

“I just have such maternal instincts, and I think the fear of potentially that becoming harder by the prospect of losing the ovary was really tough.

“I’m so lucky that I’ve got the best mom in the world, and I just want to be that one day.”

“A time when a switch was flicked was in the lead-up to the Paris Games, I went through some health challenges, which, quite frankly, really rocked me really mentally,” she said in her retirement announcement.

“It’s probably the first time I considered some things outside of swimming.

“My whole swimming career, I’ve been all or nothing, and that’s how I’ve had to be to become the athlete that I am.

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“I’ve been in this ruthless pursuit of my goals, and working alongside Dean, that’s how we decided it had to be for me to beat Katie Ledecky.

“Delving more into those health challenges, I’ve had to look within and think about what’s most important to me.

“Beyond swimming, I’ve always had goals in my personal life. I’ve just realized those goals and what I want in my future is more important to me.

“More than anything, I’m excited for what’s next.”

Swimming world reacts to Titmus retirement

Swimming stars from around the world and Dolphins teammates were full of praise for Titmus after her big announcement on Thursday morning.

“Congratulations on an incredible career and all the very best in your next chapter! You will be missed!” Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh wrote.

“Congratulations on an amazing career, Arnie! So grateful to have trained alongside you 💛 wishing you all the best in this next chapter!” Mollie O’Callaghan wrote.

“You are incredible, privileged to have witnessed a living legend in the sport,” Kayle McKeown wrote.

“Congratulations on an amazing swimming career!!! Here’s to the next chapters!” Susie O’Neill wrote.

“I’m so proud of you! You are a legend in and out of the pool. You’ve inspired me so much over the years and I am honoured to call you my friend!! All the best with the next chapter of life.” Kyle Chalmers wrote.

“Wonderful to have seen your journey! You’re amazing,” Bronte Campbell wrote.

“What a career. you’ve carried a nation, inspired a generation and done it all with such grace and heart. Your legacy will echo for years!!! So proud of everything you have achieved and to have been a little part of your journey, thank you roomie,” Brianna Throssell wrote.

“F–k yeah – just the beginning,” Dylan Alcott wrote.

“You are everything. From that little girl that came in with that ‘deer in the headlights look’ to the fierce, strong and resilient woman I’ve watched you become. You inspire so many! I love you Arnie. What an incredible message for all to follow,” Madi Wilson wrote.

Ariarne Titmus’ swimming career.

– 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)

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– At the 2024 Australian Selection Trials, Titmus became 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.

-2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games became the second swimmer to claim the 200m/400m/800m frees treble at a Commonwealth Games – all in Games records.

– Nominee 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

With NewsWire