Launceston will honour Titmus by renaming the 50m pool

Tassie’s golden girl Ariarne Titmus will be given the Key to the City at a ceremony in Northern Tasmania next month.

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TASMANIA’S golden girl of the Tokyo Olympics Ariarne Titmus will be given the Key to the City at a ceremony in Launceston next month.

Titmus grew up in the northern Tasmanian city before her family moved to Queensland to foster her sporting career.

Launceston City Council has unanimously supported a motion to present the City’s highest honour to Titmus, along with renaming the 50m competition pool at the Launceston Leisure and Aquatic Centre.

Olympians return home at Brisbane Airport. Kaylee McKeown with dog Ottis and Ariarne Titmus. PICTURE: Brad Fleet

The council will also establish an annual Ariarne Titmus Swimming Scholarship at the Aquatic Centre for up-and-coming young swimmers.

City of Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten described Titmus’s achievements in Tokyo as outstanding and it was appropriate for the council to recognise what the 20-year-old former Launceston swimmer had achieved on the world stage.

“It’s amazing to think that Ariarne has had such an impact in such a short time - she’s such an inspiration and role model for young athletes and young women everywhere and the Council is so proud of what she has achieved,” Mayor van Zetten said.

Ariarne Titmus pictured at St Peters Swimming Pool, Brisbane 26th of August 2021. Ariarne won four gold at the recent Tokyo Olympic Games. (Image/Josh Woning)

Only five people have ever been bestowed the honour of the key to the City in Launceston - former Test captain Ricky Ponting, boxer Daniel Geale, cyclist Richie Porte, composer Peter Sculthorpe and round-the-world yachtsman Ken Gourlay.

Titmus will be the first woman and the youngest person to be presented with the key.

“It’s fitting that Ariarne’s name will be associated with the same 50m pool she spent so many hours training in as a teenager in her early years as a competitive swimmer at the Aquatic Centre,” Mayor van Zetten said.

“The council hopes that by renaming this pool, it will serve as an inspiration to Launceston’s current and future generation of Olympic hopefuls.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Day 07. 31/07/21. Swimming Finals at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, Japan. Australias Ariarne Titmus claims Silver n the Womens 800m Freestyle Final. Picture: Alex Coppel.

“The only downside is that given the short time frames we have to work within regarding Ariarne’s availability, we won’t be in a position to officially rename the pool in time for this visit.

“But I would hope that once that work has taken place, we will be able to bring Ariarne back down from Queensland for a more appropriate ceremony at the Aquatic Centre.”

Titmus, who won two gold medals in the pool at the Olympics, will be presented with the Key to the

City by Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten on September 17 at a ceremony in Civic Square starting at 12 noon.