Ariarne Titmus’ coach douses Katie Ledecky showdown at world champs and 2020 Olympic Games

Ariarne Titmus’ coach Dean Boxall has doused the anticipated showdown with United States swim great Katie Ledecky at this year’s world championships and the 2020 Olympic Games by declaring Titmus first has to win Dolphins selection first.

Ariarne Titmus with her short course gold medal after breaking a world record last December in China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

The coach of Commonwealth Games golden girl Ariarne Titmus has doused expectations of a Titmus-Katie Ledecky showdown at the 2020 Toyko Olympic Games by declaring: “We have to make the Olympics (first)’’.

St Peters Western head coach Dean Boxall said people were putting the horse before the cart by lining up the teenage Titmus against the United States multiple world record holder at either this year’s world swimming championships or the Tokyo Olympics.

When Ariarne Titmus met Tracey Wickham at the Commonwealth Games

“We have to make sure (we make the Australian Dolphins first),’’ said Boxall.

“There are a whole lot of articles being written about the fight between her and Katie Ledecky.

“We have fights here domestically. They (his swimmers) have to make the team.

“Our focus is to make sure domestically we hold our position and get on the team.’’

St Peters Lutheran College past student Ariarne Titmus in full cry. (Photo by Fred Lee/Getty Images)

Expectations of future Titmus-Ledecky contests were fuelled at last year’s Pan Pacs when Titmus became only the third woman in history to break the four minute mark for the 400m. She pushed the gold medal winning Ledecky all the way with a time of 3:59.66 to claim a silver medal.

But Boxall said the focus of his swimmers, including Titmus, was to build toward the world championships trials in Brisbane in June — nothing more.

Where it all started for Titmus. Read here

In Boxall’s stable is Titmus, former world champion Mitch Larkin, Clyde Lewis, Jack Cartwright and Shayna Jack, plus a host other emerging young swimmers.

“Their outside life, they are just making sure things are ready to go so when we put the foot down, we are ready to rumble,’’ Boxall said.

Mitch Larkin had an enormous 2018. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

Boxall said Larkin was coming off an extraordinary world load of 154 faces in 2018 after the Commonwealth Games, Pan Pacs, World Cups and world short course events last season, including all the associated trials for those major events.

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“That is exceptional,’’ Boxall said in relation to Larkin’s workload.

“He was racing the top guys in the world, building up confidence because he did a remarkable job.

“Now he has to go through a block of training and hopefully use that experience later for racing.

“His aim is to make the world championships team, get up there and fight those guys and move forward.’’

Australian swimmer Shayna Jack has joined the St Peters Western stable. (AAP Image/Matt Roberts)

Rising freestyle sprinter Shayna Jack had also joined Boxall at St Peters Western after opting not to follow her previous coach, Simon Cusack, to Sydney where he was appointed to the NSW Institute of Sport.

Clyde Lewis had a successful 2018. (AAP Image/Matt Roberts)

Boxall said for Lewis, the St Joseph’s Nudgee College student who made giants strides in 2018, it was all about continuing to gather experience while Cartwright was also impressing him.

“Jack has got himself in a very good position at the moment, the same with Ariarne and Clyde,’’ Boxall said.