Ariarne Titmus: ‘I’m not just an athlete’

Fresh from the controversy surrounding the Aussie swim team at the Commonwealth Games, Ariarne Titmus has opened up about life outside the pool, leaving her comfort zone, and life in the spotlight.

As one of Australia’s highest-profile sporting stars, champion swimmer Ariarne Titmus, an Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, can’t avoid courting attention in and out of the pool. But while she would prefer the focus remain on her achievements, the 22-year-old is finally starting to relax into her fame, even if it has – particularly at this year’s Commonwealth Games, where she became the first person in 52 years to win the 200m, 400m and 800m women’s freestyle, in record-setting times – been overshadowed by the budding romance between her teammates Cody Simpson and Emma McKeon.

As she joins Stellar for a fashion-forward photo shoot and a chat about her new role as an ambassador for the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Titmus looks ahead to her next challenge – the 2024 Paris Olympics – and ponders life after swimming. Though, she insists, “I try not to put a limit on when I’m going to retire or how long I’m going to swim”

Stellar: It’s been a big year for you so far with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where you won four gold medals and one silver medal. Now that you’re back home and have had a chance to unwind, how are you feeling about your performance?

Ariarne Titmus: I was happy with how I swam there. I think, probably, the Comm Games was the first time that I really felt the pressure.

Going into the [Tokyo] Olympics, there was pressure, but I was also still the underdog, even though most people expected me to win.

But going into these Games [and] after the Olympics, more people bought into [my chances] and watched me swim and expected me to win. I really felt that this time.

I tried to not let it get to me and I don’t think it did. My goal was to go there and win the four gold medals. So I was really happy to do that.

S: How do you manage the expectations?

AT: I try to completely switch off and not look at anything when I’m not at the

pool. I don’t go on my phone much when I’m racing.

I delete most of social media because the messages that come in, it’s a lot to shuffle through.

I try, when I’m not at the pool, to remove myself from swimming. And then when I have to be at the pool and be on, I am on.

Ariarne Titmus: ‘the Comm Games was the first time that I really felt the pressure’ Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar.

S: As an athlete, the focus is on competing and winning. But when you become well-known and people are interested in you, it opens up opportunities outside of sport. How does that sit with you?

AT: A lot of people look at athletes – or me – as Ariarne Titmus, the swimmer. But most people should understand that an athlete is more than just their job.

I’m a person before a swimmer and I have interests outside of swimming. I really try to be myself as much as I can, and hopefully that helps people who want to follow me and see how

I go, not just in swimming but outside of [it, too].

I think that’s a fair call… I try to be completely myself in whatever I do, and maybe that’s attractive to people, to see the personality through not just my swimming, but all my other interests and partnerships that I have outside the sport.

S: You’re an accomplished athlete and already an Australian sporting icon at such a young age. How do you balance your professional and private lives?

AT: I was just saying to the guys on this [Stellar] shoot, with Instagram, you don’t want it to just be a highlight reel of your life. You also want to let people in a little bit to see who you really are. I try to do that.

I post [moments that] show what I do outside of swimming: really raw footage, funny videos.

I just went on an overseas holiday and posted a video of my best friend hungover. I think people are attracted to the “normalness”.

This shoot is very much outside my comfort zone, but people are getting to know me. I really enjoy fashion, I love shopping, I love nice things… like bags! It’s an interest outside of swimming.

People [are] getting to know now that I love cooking. I’m not just an athlete. I mean, that’s my job and it’s what I do and I dedicate a lot of my life to that, but it’s exciting now that people are beginning to really see who I am as well outside of swimming.

Ariarne Titmus: ‘I’m not just an athlete’ Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar.

S: You harbour a lifelong love of horses and riding, and are an official Victoria Racing Club ambassador for this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival. Tell us a bit more about this role.

AT: I was at an event the other day and someone asked what sports I did growing up. It was swimming and equestrian. I got to the point where... I remember the exact moment – my sister Mia and I, at about 10 or 11, we were having a bath or something, and Mum asked us to write our Christmas list.

We lived on acreage, [so] I asked for a dressage ring to be installed in our backyard, not understanding the cost of that.

Horseriding was what I did. We used to go to pony club, go to gymkhanas; I represented my school. At one point, I think we had eight horses in our front yard because my mum, my sister and I, we all rode.

When swimming started to get quite serious, it was hard to do both, especially with animals involved.

S: Did you ever dream of representing Australia in equestrian events in the same way that you do with swimming?

AT: With swimming, once it started to take off, it was always my priority. I just loved riding.

Some people are scared of getting on the back of a horse or they’re scared of being bucked off, but I was always quite fearless [when] riding. We got our first pony when I was four years old, so I was just always around them and never afraid.

Ariarne Titmus was a passionate horse rider before she took up swimming and never looked back. Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar.

S: Did you ever think about pursuing horseriding professionally?

AT: I’ve never really thought about it. There will always be a part of me that really loves riding, but I’m glad that I made the decision to continue with swimming.

I have no idea what my life would look like if I had continued with equestrian. Maybe it’s something I’ll pick up again later in life.

S: Are there any similarities in terms of the freedom that you feel riding horses and the way that you feel when you’re moving through the water?

AT: Being on the back of the horse, going fast and having the wind in your face, I remember that vividly. There’s nothing like it. Being a professional swimmer is very different.

S: With the Birmingham Commonwealth Games over, your focus is now on the 2024 Olympics in Paris. How are you preparing?

AT: The countdown is pretty much on. It’s under two years to Paris now – we have [the] World Championships next year in the middle of the year, which will be my next big race, but pretty much everything now is towards Paris.

I’m doing things now that are going to put me in good stead for those Games. At the moment, after my break, [I’ll have to] get my fitness back as much as I can, and then when the new year hits, it will be game on.

The work that I do in 2023 will be crucial for my performance in Paris, so next year is going to be a really important year of training.

Ariarne Titmus stars on the cover of this Sunday’s Stellar. Picture: Steven Chee for Stellar.

S: What do you think your life will be like after your professional sporting career ends? Do you know what you want to do?

AT: Sometimes, I try to be in the moment as much as I can and I try not to put a limit on when I’m going to retire, or how long I’m going to swim, or where my life will be.

But I certainly think that I have to plan for life after swimming. The lifespan for an athlete, especially a swimmer, isn’t very long.

So I guess lots of things that I’m doing now are helping set me up [for the future]. I really enjoy meeting people and learning about people. I think it will all tie in to what I end up doing after swimming.

The Melbourne Cup Carnival kicks off on October 29 with Penfolds Victoria Derby Day. For more information, visit vrc.com.au.