Olympic swimming star Ariarne Titmus on what it’s like to be coached by Boxall
Humble swim star Ariarne Titmus is still shocked to be offered a free coffee following her Olympic success, and says her family is just like ‘the Griswolds’.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Tokyo Olympic Games captured all of our imaginations. They were a triumph, and our Australian team raised our national spirits. Swimmer Ariarne Titmus became a household name. Her performances in the pool were mind-blowing, and her humbleness out of it endearing. We spoke about tattoos, her unique relationship with her coach, Dean Boxall, her love of the pool, her passion for horses, her new role with the Victoria Racing Club, handling her new-found fame, absorbing the pain, Katie Ledecky, and her confidence going into Tokyo.
HM: Arnie, at what age did you want to get a tattoo?
AT: When I was 18. I always wanted to get the Olympic rings if I ever made the Australian Olympic team. Dad said that was the only tattoo I was allowed to get as dad doesn’t like tattoos and mum has never been a fan, either. But they both approved the Olympic rings tattoo. But then I had “fearless” tattooed on my foot. I nervously told Mum, and she was fine with it, but I didn’t tell Dad. But I also decided to get a third – a butterfly on my rib. I was going to keep that one a secret but my sister let the cat out of the bag.
HM: You were going to get the Olympic rings if you made the Olympic team – but when you win two golds, a silver, a bronze, and capture the hearts and imaginations of the Australian sporting public … you can sort of get what you like, can’t you?
AT: Well, dad actually suggested getting a medal count done. I said: “Are you joking? I’m not done yet”.
HM: Why the word “fearless”?
AT: I think I’ve always been very fearless as a racer and a trainer. I felt like I had to be like that with the goals that I set. I got it on my right foot, as that’s the foot I have over the block when I dive. I look down and see it before I take off for my race. When I told Dean, he loved it – not so much the butterfly. He wasn’t too pleased about that!
HM: What doesn’t he like about it?
AT: He says it doesn’t have any meaning behind it – it’s just a cute little butterfly. It’s on my rib. Smaller than a five cent piece. He won’t see it when I swim. He’ll get over it.
HM: More on Dean later. Out of 10, how competitive is your mother, Robyn?
AT: Eleven.
HM: How does she display that?
AT: In my sport I’m very competitive, but in the rest of my life, I’m pretty low-key, almost lazy, quite relaxed. But Mum – she is highly strung and so competitive all the time. When we watch the footy at home – she is a massive Richmond fan – I couldn’t go to sleep at night with all her yelling. The whole neighbourhood would hear her. She gets that from my grandfather and it’s been passed down to me. When I was little, if I had a fight at school, I would try and sort it out amicably, but Mum would say: “Get in there, and stand up for yourself. Tell them to shut up”.
HM: How did your love affair with the pool begin?
AT: Growing up in Launceston, we had a pool. Dad always took me in there when I was little. I was never afraid of the water. When we moved into our second house in Launceston, we had an indoor pool, which was 12m. I would play mermaids in there with my sister, and I became used to the water. When the Beijing Olympics were on in 2008, we were watching the swimming, and dad said: “We should sign you up at the swimming club down the road.” From then on, I just got stuck into it, and just loved it. Yeah, that’s how it all happened.
HM: Three years later you won your first title at the Hobart Aquatic Centre, and three years after that, the family moved from Launceston to Brisbane to give your career every opportunity.
AT: It’s actually crazy, isn’t it? I remember the shortcourse state championships were 11 and under in Launceston. I won five gold medals in that. It was my first photo shoot for a newspaper and I was given the back page. I copped some flack at training because I’d put some make-up on for the photo – a 10-year-old having a photo shoot for the back page of The Examiner in Launceston. It’s crazy to think 11 years later I’m doing the same thing, but on a different level.
HM: The under-11 state titles have become the Olympics.
AT: At that stage of my life, it was the biggest thing ever. It was the pinnacle of my swimming career. The Olympics this year, even though it is the biggest show on earth, it felt so similar to when I won nationals when I was 13. It was everything then, as it was this year.
HM: Given what you achieved in Tokyo, I imagine when you leave the house there are plenty of Australians that feel as though they know you, have admiration for you and want to speak to you. It must be complicated?
AT: I’ve noticed since coming home that I’ve had a lot more people recognising me. The other day, it really hit me. Dad and I were on the way home and thought we’d call in and get a coffee. There was this cafe that I always wanted to go to; I walked in, and one of the waiting staff walked up to me and said: “You’re Ariarne! Here’s a menu, pick what you like”. I ordered a few coffees and some banana bread, and she said: “It’s on the house. You have no idea how much joy you brought us all, and I want to thank you for that.” With a lot of people being in lockdown, my swimming had a bigger impact on people than I thought. For them to give my coffee on the house … it was a very weird moment. I feel like I should be supporting your business.
HM: How recognised were you before you left for Tokyo?
AT: In the swimming world, I was quite well-known, and a lot of people knew about my battle with Katie (Ledecky). Swimmers knew me well, but the Olympics elevated it to a whole new level. The average person would probably know who I am now. When you think about people like Ian Thorpe, Susie O’Neill, growing up, I knew who they were when I was younger, even when I wasn’t swimming. The other day I went to a farm to do a photo shoot for the VRC with some horses, and there was a little girl who lived there. She was the farmer’s daughter, and she is into show jumping, not a swimmer at all. She asked for a photo with me. Getting to make an impact on people who aren’t involved with swimming is the greatest thing.
HM: Are you comfortable with it? Some people choose a sport because they love the sport, but become famous as a by-product, and battle with it.
AT: I feel like I’m pretty good at handling it all. The only thing I struggle with is the invasion of my privacy. Being surrounded by paparazzi can be pretty confronting at first, but I know it is just what comes with the gig. Swimming in our country is a very high-profile sport and, if you do well, you become a household name. I love swimming, and if this is what comes with it, then I’m happy to take it all on. As long as people are respectful, I think I will be OK.
HM: How early did you jump on a horse?
AT: I had my first pony when I was four. My sister and I shared him. His name was Tiko. He had a brown and a blue eye. I outgrew him quite quickly, so I got another one called Robbie. Over the years we got more and more horses, and by the time I was 12 we finished up having eight or nine. When the swimming started, we had to sell them – it was becoming too much to handle and it was unfair on the animals because we didn’t get to ride them as much. It was tough at the time because you make a connection with your horses. Since we sold the last one, I haven’t really had anything to do with horses at all.
HM: You did a photo shoot on a horse the other day.
AT: And loved it. Riding was a bit of a distant memory until the VRC asked if I would get back in the saddle, so I jumped on one the other day. It was like riding a bike. I was nervous but it was great to be back on the horse again. I loved being up close and personal to retired racehorse Immortalis. Horses are really calming animals and it can be really therapeutic; you can jump on a horse and feel so free.
HM: When you were a kid, were you jumping, doing novelty stuff, or just hacking around?
AT: We were in pony club and competed for school in inter-school competitions. We did the local shows, show jumping and dressage. We loved it.
HM: How would you go doing trackwork at Flemington?
AT: Terrified. I’d give the horse a bit of a kick and would be all right at a steady canter. Anything faster than that, I’d be a little worried. A lot of people think the horse does everything, but you must be really in tune with the animal. I wouldn’t be ready to ride down the Flemington straight in the Melbourne Cup just yet.
HM: Back to the swimming … you do what you do with absolute discipline, no deviation, and put yourself through unbelievable pain so often. You suffer it because of the reward at the other end. What is the reward you swim for?
AT: I think I find extreme satisfaction in completing a task knowing that I’ve done everything I can. Before swimming got very full-on in my last year of high school, going through the grades in senior school, I always prided myself on being a good student. I always tried hard in everything. It wasn’t until I got serious in year 12, when I competed in the Commonwealth Games and world championships, that I had to back off on school. I couldn’t do it all. I’ve never done something at 80 per cent – I’ll always try my best. That’s my personality. I have to be completely invested in something and want to execute whatever it is I am doing perfectly. To be a confident racer, it’s hard to race with absolute confidence if you are second guessing the work that you put in. That’s why I’m a good racer.
‘He (Boxall) creates training sessions that are made for me to fail . . . so it makes me hungrier’
HM: Because of the work you had put in?
AT: Yes, exactly. In the 400m, even when I was behind, I was so confident I was still going to win because I knew I was stronger than anyone in the world at the back end. I’d done everything in training to perfect that part of the race. No one knew, apart from myself and my coach, what I’d done, but I knew no one could have done more. My family see a lot of it, they see what I’m like at home, but they don’t see what goes on at the pool. It’s between Dean and I. It’s very full on, and during the season it’s tough. Some days I wish I could relax a little bit, but looking back now, it’s not too tough of a gig. You get to travel and become Olympic champion, so I’d take it over a different career any day.
HM: One of the best lines of the Olympic Games was delivered by Dean. He was very emotional talking about your relationship and how close you were. He said how tough it was and how you absorb whatever he tells you to. And then he said: “I’m the author of her pain”. It must be hard for him to see you suffer so much, but he’s only got the best intentions for you.
AT: He thrives on someone who is able to work hard. He loves seeing me do things in training that I didn’t think I could do – he loves that. He lives for it. He creates sessions in training for me that are made for me to fail. He does it on purpose, so it makes me hungrier, and gives him an opportunity to push me harder. Not one session is designed for me to do perfectly. Very rarely will I do a session and make every single time that I’m set to do. Going to the Olympics there were a few sessions where I absolutely nailed it, and that’s how I knew I was on. Failing in training makes me push even harder. I love it. My personality really suits it. I’m the perfect athlete for him.
HM: Is it that you understand each other so well, or just have an extraordinary chemistry that makes it work?
AT: It’s a combination. I’ve been telling him that it’s so great not having “coach” Dean around. It’s great to be able to chat to my “friend” Dean. Even today, he called me just to talk as friends. We didn’t talk about swimming at all. Having a relationship outside of the pool, talking about other things and having banter, that’s important. On my birthday he rang me and sang happy birthday, with 21 hip-hip-hoorays. Having that bond outside our job keeps the swimming relationship strong.
HM: I guess life has changed for him a lot, too, in the last month.
AT: It has, a lot. His reaction to my 400m changed everything for him, and he deserves it. A lot of people love Dean and resonate with his passion. Everyone tells me Dean’s reaction was what they were feeling in front of their TVs at home. He is so highly sought after, as he should be. He doesn’t realise how good he is as a coach – he has never done any coaching courses, or training. He works on intuition, and that’s incredible to have such a talent as a coach. Not everyone can be a coach, and he’s got a great ability to unlock the key to people’s personalities and figure out what they need as an athlete. He doesn’t realise how good he is.
‘He doesn’t realise how good he is as a coach – he has never done any coaching courses or training. He works on intuition’
HM: He was a big part of the Games. Do you realise how much you have achieved in 21 years?
AT: It’s crazy. I think about people I went to school with. It’s not a dig, but my friends are just finishing off their university degrees, and they are going on to start their jobs in the workplace, and they’ve all got a great life, but I have done something that not many people get to do. I’m very grateful for the gift I have been given.
HM: There’s been some thoughts around what should happen in Tasmania. Rename Launceston, rename a pool. Which is fair and reasonable?
AT: I was in Tassie this week actually and received the Key to Launceston, presented by the Mayor. It was an incredible honour. They are also renaming the Launceston 50m pool after me and creating a swimming scholarship in my name. That’s incredible. Down in Tassie, it’s a massive deal. I’m their first individual Olympic gold medallist, and first female to receive the keys to Launceston. I feel very grateful and honoured to be recognised in that way. It’s a bit far to rename the city … come on!
HM: Titmuston, Arnceston, Ariarneceston, Titmustown?
AT: One of my friends is on this Launceston memes page, and she was telling me about some of the posts during the Olympics. There was this photo of my mum, and she’s coat-hanging my nanna. She has her arm around my nanna’s neck, and it looks like she’s being strangled. She said that photo went viral in Launceston. Everyone was clinging on to mum and dad, my nanna, as Tasmanians. I love it. I’m a born and bred Tasmanian and a proud Tasmanian. I was so excited to get back there.
HM: Elaborate more on the photo of mum coat-hanging nanna.
AT: There is a photo of dad with his arms in the air, and mum cheering with her arms around nanna’s neck. It’s a classic. My family are like the Griswolds. There were 12 of them that went to Noosa, and my cousins told me their job wasn’t to make a scene or be noticed. On the first day, one of them spilt red wine all over one of the mum’s white pants, and my sister knocked over someone’s cup of tea when they were cheering. One of my cousins said to me, “We were well and truly the Griswolds of the group.”
HM: Brilliant. What is it about Rafa you love so much?
AT: When he plays, he plays with such passion that it doesn’t matter if he’s not the best. He’ll just come out on top because he can find that little bit extra over anyone else. As an athlete, I understand how he feels. He has been in his sport for a lot longer than I have. He was winning Roland Garros when I was four-years-old, so it’s incredible to think you can have such longevity in your sport at such a high level. He doesn’t have any external motivators, he does it because he truly loves it. That’s why I do swimming. I can really resonate with that. I hope to see him play before he retires, hopefully at the Australian Open next year. He’s my sporting idol.
HM: Pre-swim, do you put your own playlist together, or just rely on Robyn’s?
AT: Just Mum’s … she constantly adds to it, and it’s very random. To start off, a lot of rock and ’80s, but then she will hear a song that I will listen to, and she’ll put that on. When I’m racing, it’s a nice reminder of Mum, too. I feel like she’s with me when I’m listening to the music. I remember in Tokyo my favourite song blaring in my ears of hers was Danger Zone.
HM: Kenny Loggins!
AT: Not usually – but when I’m racing, it’s good. The next song that came on was Adele – Hello. Mum, seriously … we need different playlists for different genres! I’d skip that, and then it’s Shawn Mendes. There we go – one of mine: AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi … back to hers.
HM: I remember you saying “that chick is nuts”, referring to Katie Ledecky. Amazing to think Katie must be thinking: “That Arnie chick is nuts!”
AT: It’s crazy. I did that interview when NBC came out from America to do a feature on me. I was talking about the first time I’d seen Katie race, at the Rio Olympics. I was in Hawaii at a junior international meet, and I’d just cracked 4.10 for the first time. She was at Rio, racing world records, and swam 3.56. I remember her back end was something that really impressed me, coming home in 28.9 for the last 50m. I didn’t think anyone else the world would ever top that. To come home in 28.8 and beat her home is the biggest achievement I took from the Olympics. To be behind Katie at the halfway point, and come out on top, that’s what I’m most proud of.
HM: It’s just incredible. There is a nice symmetry about those Games. You win two, you quinella two, and she wins two.
AT: I knew the 1500m was hers, and I wasn’t in that race – too far for me. I thought the 800m would be a close race, but I knew it was hers to lose. That’s her event. I was very happy to come away with a silver medal in that race.
HM: Which race were you most confident about going in?
AT: I felt most pressure for the 200m going into it. My time going in was a second-and-a-half faster than anyone else’s in the world. I should have felt more confident going into that race because of that but I felt a lot of pressure.
HM: Not the 400m?
AT: In the 400m, even though it was the race that was most anticipated and the world was talking about, and was predicted to be the closest battle between Katie and I, and the one I should have been the most nervous about, I wasn’t. For some reason, I just had this calmness, and I was hardly nervous at all. It’s the strangest thing to reflect on.
HM: Why do you think that was?
AT: In the last week before racing, I was doing things in training where I was surprising even myself. I just thought no one could beat me given what I was doing, and if they did, well, hats off to them. If you are better than me, then that’s OK, but I don’t think anyone can be right now. I truly believed that I had prepared the best in the world, and that confidence, not overconfidence, was perfect to help me race at my best.
‘I wouldn’t say I have a close friendship (with Katie Ledecky) . . . . I feel like we are respectful competitors’
HM: One of the greatest footballers of all time, Leigh Matthews, said: “You get close to some teammates, but with other teammates you don’t dislike or like, you’re just colleagues.” Do you have a friendship with Katie, or is she just a colleague?
AT: I wouldn’t say we have a close friendship. We always have a chat whenever we see each other, it’s very friendly, but she’s not someone I would reach out to and ask a question. I feel like we are respectful competitors.
HM: Last time you were in the pool?
AT: The 800m final.
HM: Seriously?
AT: Yeah – I spoke to Dean today, and he said: “You’re back in the pool October 4.” I knew it was coming. He asked me if I’d gone for a walk or a run, or if I felt like I wanted to. I said no. I am just not motivated to exercise at the moment. He said: “That’s OK, but make sure when you come back, you’re ready to go.” It’s going to feel very strange. I’ll feel a bit funny when I get back in the water. When I dive in the pool on a Monday morning after being out of the water on Sunday, I feel funky. It is going to feel atrocious!
HM: When you get back, what do you lose? Is it muscle memory?
AT: The biggest thing is the feel for the water. It’s hard to describe to a nonswimmer. When you’re training, you’ve got to always feel in touch with the water. The feel for the water is something you can lose quickly. That will take a while to come back. I’ve lost my strength and my fitness, and I’ve put on a few kilos, but that doesn’t matter. It will all come back by the end of the year. I’ll start to get on track.
HM: When have you got to be competing again?
AT: My first proper race will be in December, and then we have world championship trials in April.
HM: You’ll be flying by then. You don’t lose much, but did you lose a fashions on the field when you were at the races years ago?
AT: Yep … I did. It was Longford Cup Day on New Year’s Day, 2012. I wore this blue dress, with a blue fascinator and blue shoes. I thought I was on point wearing blue everything.
HM: Unbeatable …
AT: I thought so, but looking back, probably not the right move to go all blue. Maybe that’s something I can do better come Melbourne Cup Day.
HM: If you’re needing bling, just bring the two gold medals.
AT: As my earrings …
HM: Who was the first to dub you The Terminator?
AT: My dad, initially. At the world championship trials 2017, I’d just made the team and I was doing press after one of my races. I said to the media: “My dad jokingly calls me The Terminator.” It wasn’t because of the way I raced, it’s because my nickname is Arnie. The media just took it and ran with it. That was when it started, but it’s funny because no one ever calls me The Terminator. They’ll call me The Terminator to take the piss.
HM: It’s a pretty cool name. When you look back on Tokyo, are you pretty proud and satisfied?
AT: It’s funny, you know – everything is still very numb. I know what I’ve achieved, and I’m very happy about that. I’ve come away from Tokyo feeling very satisfied with what I achieved, but I still feel like I have a lot more to do in the sport. I’m still very hungry, which is a good feeling to have. There is more to do.
Ariarne Titmus is the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day Ambassador for the Victoria Racing Club.
The Melbourne Cup Carnival kicks off with Penfolds Victoria Derby Day on October 30. For more information visit flemington.com.au
Sneaky way junk food is being pitched to Vic kids
Cancer experts have raised the alarm after uncovering a “concerning” pattern in junk food adverts being located near dozens of Victorian schools and kids’ transport routes.
Jordan Ablett’s ‘raw and honest‘ new memoir lifts lid on raising Levi
In a touching new memoir, Jordan Ablett has shared details of how she and husband Gary raise their son Levi — who has a rare disability — and their journey to hope and joy in the wake of his shock diagnosis.