"One of my favorite women" - Ariarne Titmus reflects on interviewing legendary jockey Michelle Payne at Australian Open 2025

Australian swimming champion Ariarne Titmus has highlighted a memorable moment during her time at the Melbourne Cup Carnival, expressing excitement over meeting retired jockey Michelle Payne. She described Payne as one of her favorite women and shared her admiration on a social media post.

The Olympic gold medalist recently debuted as a tennis commentator for Channel Nine at the 2025 Australian Open. During the event, she was spotted engaging with Payne.

The 24-year-old talked about her meet with Payne on her Instagram story with a caption:

"Interviewed one of my favorite women this morning @michellejpayne."

Screenshot of Ariarne Titmus' Instagram Story/ Source: Instagram/ @ariarnetitmus_

Ariarne Titmus has established an impressive career as a champion swimmer. At the Tokyo Games, she secured two gold medals in the women's 200m freestyle and 400 freestyle events, along with a silver in the 800m freestyle and a bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay. Building on her achievements, she excelled at the Paris Games, earning gold in the women's 400m freestyle and the 4x200 freestyle relay. Additionally, she claimed silver in both the women's 200m freestyle and 800m freestyle.

Ariarne Titmus shares insights from her recent Wide World of Sports Experience

Ariarne Timus at Australia's Olympic Games Athletes Charter Flight Arrival - Source: Getty

Ariarne Titmus expressed her excitement about her recent experience as a tennis commentator for the Wide World of Sports (WWOS) team with fans on social media. The Australian swimmer showed gratitude for the opportunity, describing the interactions and thrilling tennis matches.

On January 24, 2025, she took to Instagram to share the update with her fans, posting memorable moments and photos with the crew along with the caption:

"What a week at the tennis with @wwos 🥰. I’ve had the best week reporting color, making new friends, and watching some epic tennis!!!"

In addition to her commentary role, Titmus mingled with tennis fans and participated in a spelling bee. She also shared an update on social media, showing off the best seats in the house with her name displayed on the chairs. Furthermore, she engaged with low-vision tennis stars Ross Patterson, and Grace Hobbs during the 'All-Abilities Day' segment at the Australian Open.

The Australian Open, one of the four prestigious tennis Grand Slam tournaments, is held annually at Melbourne in Victoria and is organized by Tennis Australia.