Ariarne Titmus


Ariarne Elizabeth Titmus 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. In 2019 and 2020, she competed representing the Cali Condors in the International Swimming League.
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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. She initially attended secondary school at St Patrick's College Launceston before switching to St Peter's Lutheran College in Brisbane. 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. Titmus is a supporter of the Hawthorn Hawks in the Australian Football League.

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.
Titmus competed in the women's 200-metre freestyle event at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, finishing in 17th place.
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. 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.
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.
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. 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. 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.
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. She lost the record to Summer McIntosh in 2023, before regaining it at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships with a time of 3:55.38.
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.
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.

Career best times

Long course metres (50 m pool)

EventTimeMeetLocationDateNotes
50 m freestyle26.08Australian ChampionshipsAdelaide, Australia18 May 2022
100 m freestyle53.68Australian ChampionshipsAdelaide, Australia18 May 2022
200 m freestyle1:52.23Australian TrialsBrisbane, Australia12 June 2024WR
400 m freestyle3:55.38World ChampionshipsFukuoka, Japan23 July 2023OC
800 m freestyle8:12.29Olympic GamesParis, France3 August 2024
1500 m freestyle16:09.87Pan Pacific Championships TrialsAdelaide, Australia30 June 2018
400 m individual medley4:46.61Pan Pacific Championships TrialsAdelaide, Australia1 July 2018

Short course metres (25 m pool)

EventTimeMeetLocationDateNotes
50 m freestyle26.43World ChampionshipsHangzhou, China15 December 2018
100 m freestyle53.32International Swimming LeagueLas Vegas, United States20 December 2019
200 m freestyle1:51.38World ChampionshipsHangzhou, China11 December 2018
400 m freestyle3:53.92World ChampionshipsHangzhou, China14 December 2018
800 m freestyle8:13.41Australian ChampionshipsMelbourne, Australia25 October 2018

World records

Long course metres

split 1:54.27 ; with Madison Wilson, Brianna Throssell, Emma McKeon

split 1:52.82 ; with Madison Wilson, Kiah Melverton, Mollie O'Callaghan

split 1:52.41 ; with Mollie O'Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Brianna Throssell

Olympic records

Long course metres

split 1:52.95 with Mollie O'Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell

Awards and honours