"The village isn't as glamorous as the people think" - Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus opens up about "filth" at Paris Olympics

Ariarne Titmus recently spoke out about her experience of the Olympic Village in Paris, divulging some of the parts that left her displeased with the facilities there. The Aussie swimmer was one of the most successful performers at the event, winning four medals. In a recent interview with The Project, the Australian swimmer said the experience of the Olympic Village was in contrast to what the public may have believed.

Titmus said that while she felt at home and the Olympians had access to "Aussie food", she felt the experience of the Olympic Village was different from its reputation:

"The best part was our baristas, who had two baristas in our little precinct[...] They did it all up, and it felt like home, we had Aussie food, TimTams, and chockies. But the village isn't as glamorous as the people think," the 23-year-old said. [0.20]

The Aussie further talked about the kind of facilities the athletes were served in Paris:

"Our bed sheets got changed after the first night we were there and then they didn't get changed for the rest of the time we were there, so we were living in filth... We would have to lie about how many roommates we had so we could scab toilet rolls. We'd run out of toilet paper and they'd only give us one for four days for the entire apartment." [0:48]

Asked by the hosts about the much-talked-about cardboard beds, Titmus said:

"I was very lucky, Tempur gave me a beautiful mattress which I feel very grateful for. The mattresses that were there were about this thick, and were just like fishing wire all tangled up, and they were in three sections, three parts, that went together. So they weren't even one big mattress, which is crazy!" [01:30]

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Ariarne Titmus' performance at the Paris Olympics

Ariarne Titmus with her silver medal from the women's 800m freestyle [Image Source: Getty]

Ariarne Titmus entered the Paris Olympics as the defending champion in the women's 200m and 400m freestyle events. She had won golds in the women's 200m and 400m freestyle events, silver in the women's 800m freestyle, and bronze in the women's 4x200m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics.

At the Paris Games 2024, Titmus pipped the favorite Katie Ledecky was the favorite to defend her Olympic gold medal in the women's 400m freestyle. In the final of the women's 200m freestyle, she was beaten by compatriot Mollie O'Callaghan, who created a new Olympic record of 1 minute, 53.27 seconds to win the race.

Titmus then focused on the women's 4x200m freestyle relay, where she swam the anchor leg to help the Australian team create a new Olympic record of 7 minutes, 38.08 seconds, and take home the gold medal. However, in the women's 800m freestyle, it was the USA's Ledecky who took home the Olympic gold medal. The American swimmer won the race with a timing of 8 minutes, 11.04s. Titmus, despite breaking the Oceania record had to settle for silver, with a timing of 8 minutes, 12.29s.