Ariarne Titmus Planning Return to Training in July; Olympic Champ Won’t Compete at World Championships

Ariarne Titmus Planning Return to Training in July; Olympic Champ Won’t Compete at World Championships
The middle-distance freestyle events at this summer’s World Championships in Singapore will be missing a major star, as Australian Ariarne Titmus recently told the Sydney Morning Herald that she will not compete at the global showcase. Titmus is in the midst of a break from the sport, a deserved respite following her latest success at last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
In addition to repeating as Olympic champion in the 400-meter freestyle at the Paris Games, Titmus claimed silver medals and in the 200 freestyle and 800 freestyle, and helped Australia capture gold in the 800 freestyle relay. She then embarked on a hiatus from the sport and the grueling training schedule that she followed under coach Dean Boxall. She will enjoy several more months away, before returning to training in July.
“The plan is to get back in July,” Titmus told the Morning Herald. “I’ve spoken to (Boxall) about that. He said to get moving in July. I may have to start doing a little bit in the water at the end of May. That’s definitely the plan. I’m so grateful that I’ve got Dean and Rohan Taylor (Australian head coach) backing me and putting what I need first. I don’t think it was like that 20 years ago.
“I’ve always said that I was going to take a 12-month break off the back of Paris. That’s something that I discussed with Dean and Rohan before the Paris Olympics. I just knew that after Paris, I needed some time away. I’ve been on the national team since I was 16, and I just needed a bit of a break mentally from the intensity of the sport.”
Titmus indicated that her focus is on the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and that she has enjoyed the opportunity to recharge. However, she has also stayed busy, incuding working for Channel Nine during its coverage of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Mental health is invaluable and Olympic medals are not the priority