"First time in life where my bubble was burst"- Ariarne Titmus reflects on health scare and how it inspired her comeback

Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus has revealed the challenges she faced while making her return to the Paris Olympics, including a health scare ahead of the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards. Titmus made her return to the Olympics after she was diagnosed with an ovarian tumour in August 2023. She is a nominee for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Titmus performed remarkably by claiming four medals. She won a gold medal each in the Women's 400m Freestyle and the Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay, respectively. Coming off the back of a life-altering diagnosis, this made her achievements at the Games even more impressive.

In an interview with Laureus Sports, Titmus highlighted the challenges she faced while making her return, as well as the positives she got out of it.

"I think that as an athlete, more than any career, I suppose we're in such a bubble and it's almost like the outside world doesn't really exist. And it was probably the first time in my life where my bubble was burst. And I realised that there's so much more to this big great world."

"But, at the same time, it also made me realise how lucky I am, to be in a position to be fighting for Olympic Gold medals and it really put a lot of things into perspective for me. So I'm really proud of the way that I was able to, firstly, recover and have the performances that I have had, but I think the personal growth I've taken away from those challenges has been really important, " said Ariarne Titmus.

Ariarne Titmus has been nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award alongside Rebeca Andrade, Caeleb Dressel, Lara Gut-Behrami, Marc Márquez, and Rishabh Pant.

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Ariarne Titmus' impressive performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Ariarne Titmus grabbed four medals at Paris 2024 - Source: Getty

Ariarne Titmus' performance at the Olympics was impressive not only due to the number of medals she picked up, but also because she did so in light of the major health challenges she faced beforehand.

In August 2023, when Titmus was getting treatment for a hip injury, a large growth on her right ovary was found when she underwent an MRI scan. Titmus then had surgery to remove two benign tumours and returned to training within weeks of it, highlighting her resilience and willpower.

Ariarne Titmus then went on to win two silver medals and two gold medals at the Olympics, just a year after surgery. She also set a world record at the Australian Swimming Trials in June, where she posted a time of 1:52.23 in the 200m Freestyle.