"I was probably the least nervous and it's the most bizarre thing"- Ariarne Titmus shares her emotions before the first Olympic final of her career

A 200m and 400m freestyle specialist, swimmer Ariarne Titmus made her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. En route to Paris as one of the prominent athletes, Titmus shared her first Olympic experience in Tokyo, where she started less nervous but felt the intensity of the competition later.

Ariarne Titmus, 23, is the current world record holder in the 400m freestyle long-course event, clocking 3:55.38 at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. Interestingly, she was the first swimmer to lower Katie Ledecky's record in 2022 thus losing it to Summer McIntosh until she regained it the next year.

At the 2020 Olympic Games, Ariarne Titmus posted 3:56.69 in the 400m freestyle final to outpace world record holder Ledecky to win gold for the Australian team. Her second gold came from her Olympic record-breaking performance in the 200m freestyle final but lost the 800m free podium to Ledecky by 1.26s.

The first Olympiad for any athlete is loaded with nervousness and anxiety but heading into her first Games was less stressful to Titmus. But her confidence dropped before 800m free due to stress build-up. In an interview with three-time Olympian Rowie Webster, the 23-year-old said:

"I completely expected my first-ever Olympic final to be the most nervous I would ever be, especially going in as the gold medal favorite. I was probably the least nervous I had been for an international competition ever and it's the most bizarre thing, and I think its because I woke up that morning I just said to myself, all I have to do is swim 8 laps."

"I remember just sitting on the ground in the warmup pool with Dean (Boxall) the morning of the 800m final and he just said to me, just one more punch," she said of her anxiousness before 800m free.

The interview of the Australian Olympic team was in partnership with Code Sports. Ariarne Titmus trains under the tutelage of Dean Boxall, who is also the lead coach of the Brisbane-based St. Peters Western.

Ariarne Titmus' comeback story after ovarian surgery last year

In September 2023, Ariarne Titmus underwent surgery to remove two tumors from her right ovary, which left her out of competition for a while. The tumors were first detected in an MRI, which was primarily done for a hip injury.

Three months later, she resumed her career with the Queensland State Championships in December, finishing with the 200m free silver. She shared her journey with the CNN reporters and said:

"I’m really playing catch-up at the moment, trying to put in as much work as I can, so I’m pretty buggered racing here."

The detection of benign tumors not only planted a scare of losing ovaries but also conceiving in the future, according to her Instagram post.

"A large growth was found on my right ovary...Of course in these moments you think of the worst case scenario, and I was petrified of potentially losing the ovary or there being implications that could affect me and my desire to have children one day."