‘Would give up every gold’: Ariarne Titmus’ big ‘fear’ after being rocked by health scare

Aussie swimming star Ariarne Titmus has opened up on a major health scare, revealing she would give up her Olympic medals for one thing.

Australian swimming star Ariarne Titmus says she would “give up every gold medal I’ve ever won to have a child”.

Titmus has returned to Australia after another successful Olympic campaign where she defended her 400m freestyle crown, won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay and also picked up silvers in the 200m and 800m freestyle.

With four career gold medals, Titmus is already one of Australia’s greatest ever Olympians and will be forever known for beating Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle in Tokyo.

She also holds the 200m and 400m freestyle world records.

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But a health scare in 2023 prompted the 24-year-old to reassess her life priorities.

In September last year, Titmus revealed she had undergone surgery to remove a large growth found on her ovary.

“My ovary was 8.5×7cm in size and contained 2 benign tumours called dermoids, both 4cm in size,” she said at the time after the growth was picked up when she went for scans on a hip injury.

Now Titmus has opened up about how much the ordeal rocked her and forced her to make a major life decision during an Olympic campaign.

“It changed my perspective on life quite a lot actually,” she told the Inherited podcast.

“I’m stumped with this, it’s a bit of a freak out moment.

Ariarne Titmus is one of Australia’s greatest swimmers. Picture: Adam Head

“The hardest part was going through all the tests, seeing how big it was, whether it was cancerous, how they were going to remove it.

“For me and where I want to go in my life, there was just no other option. I had to get it out.

“It put a lot of things into perspective for me. My body isn’t just a vehicle to train, my body’s purpose, really, is to carry a child one day.

“And that really hit home to me, it made me realise how much I want to be a mum, and it made swimming almost seem a bit irrelevant at the time.”

Titmus had to spend several weeks out of the water recovering from the surgery, missing training in the lead-up to the Olympics.

“But then it also made me think, ‘You know what? I’ve got prime position going into these Games, I’ve got a red hot crack here at defending my titles and coming home with gold medals,” the freestyler said.

“Bad things can happen in life all the time and stump you, so make the most of this opportunity.

“I think after that operation I just went crazy. It was really, really challenging.

“I was battling in my head, post-surgery, one side of me being like, ‘Let your body heal, let your body get better because you need to let yourself recover’. And then the other part of my brain was like, ‘No, you only have eight months (until the Olympics), you’ve got to get going’.

Titmus had a growth on her ovary removed. Picture: Adam Head

The health scare rattled the Olympic champ. Photo: Steve Pohlner

“I had my coach pushing me and every day checking, like, ‘How’s it feeling? How’s it feeling?’

“Because when you get your abdominal walls cut open, it takes a while to heal. And especially swimming, (which) is such a core-dominant sport.

“It was really, really, really challenging, but I’m actually glad it happened because it made me have a different outlook on life.”

Titmus, one of Australia’s greatest ever swimmers, said she would give up all her success in the pool to be a mum one day.

“I’ve always wanted to be a mum, but it probably made me realise how much I want it,” she said.

“I would give up every gold medal I’ve ever won to have a child.

“I just have such maternal instincts, and I think the fear of potentially that becoming harder by the prospect of losing the ovary was really tough.

“I’m so lucky that I’ve got the best mum in the world, and I just want to be that one day.”

Arnie would give up her medals to be a mum. Photo: Adam Head

Titmus has been busy since returning from Paris — following Hawthorn’s run in the AFL finals, returning to her native Tasmania and being named a Melbourne Cup ambassador.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist said she would be taking a break from swimming for a year, which means she could miss the 2025 world championships in Singapore.

“I’m taking 12 months away from the water,” Titmus said.

“I’m still trying to keep fit by doing something everyday. I think I will probably get back in the pool and go and swim on my own when I start to get the itch.

“But more than anything, I think I really just need a break away to reset and give my mind a bit of a rest.”

Originally published as ‘Would give up every gold’: Ariarne Titmus’ big ‘fear’ after being rocked by health scare