Advice from swimming legend Janelle Elford taught Ariarne Titmus not to fear pain

ARIARNE Titmus needed to make pain a friend to become the new force in swimming’s most taxing events with a mantra she gratefully borrowed from one of Australia’s distance divas.

ARIARNE Titmus needed to make pain a friend to become the new force in swimming’s most taxing events with a mantra she gratefully borrowed from one of Australia’s distance divas.

The breakout new star of the Aussie swim team credits a chat with 1988 Olympian Janelle Elford, a multiple Australian title winner, for flicking a switch in her mindset for the brutal demands of the 400m-800m double.

She swims the 800m to win but she loves the racing of the 400m which on Tuesday night can produce one of the rousing highlights at the Commonwealth Games pool on the Gold Coast.

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Ariarne Titmus says pain is no barrier ahead of the 400m freestyle.

Should she become a champion for the new age by beating Welsh Olympic silver medallist Jazz Carlin, a special bonus will await.

The gold medal will be a baton change of eras because it will be presented by Gold Coast-based Tracey Wickham, the pool queen who won the 400m-800m double at both the 1978 and 1982 Commonwealth Games.

Titmus was an unknown of 14 from Launceston at the national age championships in Sydney in 2015 when she spoke with Elford.

“She said ‘you have to learn to love pain and when you feel that pain you push harder’,” Titmus, just 17, said of a key career moment.

“I went out and swam my best race in ages and I put it down to what Janelle told me.

“I’m not scared of pain.”

Australian legend Janelle Elford (R) gave some crucial advice to Titmus at age 14.

It’s that hardcore attitude that is so exciting.

It is only six years since Susie O’Neill wondered if Australia was still breeding female swimmers willing to do the truly tough mileage in the pool to follow in the Hall of Fame footsteps of former distance queens like Wickham, Michelle Ford, Hayley Lewis, Julie McDonald, Karen Moras, Jenny Turrall and Elford.

“It won’t be easy. Jazz will bring her best and I’ll bring mine so it’ll be a great battle,” Titmus said.

Titmus (M) has taken the Commonwealth Game on the Gold Coast by storm.

It’s easy to forget that Titmus is still a schoolgirl in Year 12 at Brisbane’s St Peter’s Lutheran College with schoolgirl things on her mind.

“Last year, I’d revise for exams with biology stats in my head when I was training but school has to be second for now because I have a once in a lifetime opportunity and I don’t want to miss the boat because I could have focused more,” Titmus said.

For many swimmers calming the nerves is the trick. The racer within this pool sprite operates in reverse.

“I try to make myself nervous, it makes the blood run and I race better with good nerves,” Titmus said.

Titmus after winning the 800m freestyle final on day five.

“To be a distance swimmer you have to be the toughest and I love that ... first in, last out at training.”

Taskmaster coach Dean Boxall is her ideal mentor and slashing seven seconds off her best 200m time in two years was the eye-popping pointer from her 200m freestyle silver.

“I don’t want to be jumping up and down going, ‘woo hoo, silver’,” Boxall said.

“I want to be going, hey, bloody hell, come on. She’s hungry. She’s bloody hungry.”

For gold.

Originally published as Advice from swimming legend Janelle Elford taught Ariarne Titmus not to fear pain