Four-time Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus declares retirement

Australia’s four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus has retired from all ranges of swimming.

Swimming Australia confirmed the 25-year-old’s retirement on Thursday morning.

Titmus completed her profession as one of many best distance swimmers of all time, having gained eight Olympic medals throughout the Paris and Tokyo Games.

Coached by Dean Boxall, Titmus additionally claimed 9 world championship medals, together with 4 gold.

She took an prolonged break from swimming following the Paris Olympics, earlier than deciding to retire.

“It’s a tough one but one that I’m really happy with,” Titmus mentioned in an Instagram put up.

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

“But I suppose I’ve taken this time away from the game and realised some issues in my life which have all the time been essential to me are just a bit bit extra essential to me now than swimming.

“That’s OK, but here we are.”

Titmus efficiently defended her Olympic title within the girls’s 400 metres freestyle on the Paris Olympics.

She grew to become the primary Australian feminine athlete since Dawn Fraser in 1964 to win back-to-back gold medals in the identical occasion.

In the Tokyo 400m freestyle last, Titmus defeated legendary American Katie Ledecky, who was defending champion and the world-record holder on the time.

Four years later, she beat house rising Canadian star Summer McIntosh and Ledecky within the last, a showdown dubbed the “race of the century”.

Titmus mentioned retirement was not on her thoughts when she competed in Paris final 12 months.

“I always intended to return. I never thought Paris would be my last Olympic Games,” she mentioned.

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

“I suppose in these 12 months I’ve been capable of discover what life is like outdoors of swimming.”

Titmus’s haul of Olympic gold includes the women’s 200m freestyle at the Tokyo Games and the 4x200m freestyle in Paris.

She came close to completing the 200m-400m freestyle double in Paris, finishing second to fellow Australian and training partner, Mollie O’Callaghan, in the shorter distance.

Titmus was twice Olympic silver medallist within the 800m freestyle, with Ledecky profitable on each events.

Titmus stays world-record holder

Titmus also set world records in the 200m and 400m freestyle, with her time in the former — one minute and 52.23 seconds — still standing.

Swimming the time at the 2024 Australian Olympic trials in Brisbane, she became the first Australian woman since Shane Gould in 1972 to concurrently hold the 200m and 400m freestyle world records.

She twice broke the 400m freestyle world report throughout her profession, together with her private finest of three:55.38 bettered by McIntosh (3:54.18) in June this 12 months.

The Brisbane-based swimmer — who grew up in Tasmania — was a nominee for the 2025 Laureus World Comeback of the Year award for her performances at the Paris Olympics after she recovered from surgery to remove an ovarian tumour.

She described the health scare as a “turning level”, forcing her to re-assess her life outside the pool.

“It most likely was the primary time the place I thought-about some issues outdoors of swimming,” Titmus mentioned.

“Delving extra into these well being challenges, I’ve actually needed to look inside and take into consideration what’s most essential to me and past swimming.

“I’ve always had goals in my personal life, but swimming has always been most important up until this point and I’ve just realised that those goals and what I want in my future is now more important to me.

“But greater than something, I’m excited for what’s subsequent.”

Titmus’s success extended to the Commonwealth Games, where she claimed seven gold medals and a silver at the Birmingham (2022) and Gold Coast (2018) editions.