Ariarne Titmus still has work to do, at school and in the pool after stunning Commonwealth Games debut

ARIARNE Titmus has an overdue economics assignment due at school but it’s her homework in the pool that has Australia’s new golden girl ready to knuckle down.

ARIARNE Titmus has an overdue economics assignment due at school yet her new fan club Australia-wide would playfully shout down any teacher who pondered flunking our A-plus starlet of the pool.

To rework the classic shout-out from former PM Bob Hawke after Australia II’s America’s Cup win 35 years ago: “I’ll tell you what ... any teacher who fails our star swimmer for not turning in an assignment is a bum!”

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It won’t come to that because the engaging Titmus is rapt she has so much support from Brisbane’s St Peter’s Lutheran College where she will show off her new bling - three golds and a silver medal - when returning to life as a Year 12 student next week.

You get constant reminders of how young she is, at 17, because she’s not old enough to party in any nightspot on the Gold Coast with senior team pals now their exhilarating Commonwealth Games campaign is swum and won.

Australia’s golden girls (from left) Bronte Campbell, Ariarne Titmus, Emily Seebohm, Cate Campbell and Emma McKeon. Picture: Adam Head

“Because I’m underage I can’t go out with the others but I can still enjoy myself, go to other sports which I’m really excited about, go to the beach, have good food ... it’ll be fun,” Titmus said.

Titmus, a picture of maturity and poise, is swimming’s breakout new star, with her two Olympic medal-level times giving some context to Australia’s 28 golds, 73 medal haul in the pool.

“I still have an assignment from Term One I haven’t handed in but my teacher said I could hand it in at the end of the year,” Titmus said.

“St Peter’s is so great with me, so understanding with time off, and I knew school had to be put second for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

“I’m a bit exhausted to be honest but it’s back to school soon and straight into it.”

She’s “Arnie” to all because the Launceston-born talent, with a flashing smile to her hardcore attitude as a trainer, says “Ariarne’s too posh.”

Ariarne Titmus after winning the women's 400m freestyle final.

“Four years ago (when the Games were) in Glasgow I must have been 13 and dreamt of competing here but I never thought it would really happen,” Titmus said.

“To come away with three gold medals is amazing.”

To be a 400m-800m distance swimmer you must be relentless. It’s always train for faster. Better turns, Better dives. All the time. And all the kilometres, 60-plus per week.

Big drops in her personal bests mean Katie Ledecky will recognise a rising rival for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics yet the American superstar was swimming a then-world record more than two seconds faster when she was 17 four years ago.

Racing against the five-time Olympic champion at the Pan Pacs in Japan in August is super-exciting because every training lap is measured in terms of catching her one day.

“Seeing her in the flesh for the first time last year (at the world titles in Budapest) made me realise she is an amazing swimmer but she’s just like me,” Titmus said.

“You only get to where you are with hard work and dedication.

“I’ll keep doing that. To think I’ve dropped 12 seconds in two years (in the 400m) is pretty amazing but turns and starts are some things I’ve got to work on.”

Originally published as Ariarne Titmus still has work to do, at school and in the pool after stunning Commonwealth Games debut