By Luke Pentony, ABC
Australia's Ariarne Titmus celebrates during the podium ceremony of the women's 800m freestyle swimming event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo: AFP / Jonathan Nackstand
Australia's four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus has retired from all levels of swimming.
Swimming Australia confirmed the 25-year-old's retirement on Thursday morning.
Titmus finished her career as one of the greatest distance swimmers of all time, having won eight Olympic medals across the Paris and Tokyo Games.
Coached by Dean Boxall, Titmus also claimed nine world championship medals, including four gold.
She took an extended break from swimming following the Paris Olympics, before deciding to retire.
"It's a tough one but one that I'm really happy with," Titmus said in an Instagram post.
"I've always loved swimming, it's been my passion since I was a little girl.
"But I guess I've taken this time away from the sport and realised some things in my life that have always been important to me are just a little bit more important to me now than swimming.
"That's OK, but here we are."
Titmus successfully defended her Olympic title in the women's 400 metres freestyle at the Paris Olympics.
She became the first Australian female athlete since Dawn Fraser in 1964 to win back-to-back gold medals in the same event.
In the Tokyo 400m freestyle final, Titmus defeated legendary American Katie Ledecky, who was defending champion and the world-record holder at the time.
Four years later, she beat home rising Canadian star Summer McIntosh and Ledecky in the final, a showdown dubbed the "race of the century".
Titmus said retirement was not on her mind when she competed in Paris last year.
"I always intended to return. I never thought Paris would be my last Olympic Games," she said.
"Knowing what I know now, maybe I wish I had enjoyed that last race a little bit more.
"I guess in these 12 months I've been able to explore what life is like outside of swimming."
Titmus's haul of Olympic gold includes the women's 200m freestyle at the Tokyo Games and the 4x200m freestyle in Paris.
She came close to completing the 200m-400m freestyle double in Paris, finishing second to fellow Australian and training partner, Mollie O'Callaghan, in the shorter distance.
Titmus was twice Olympic silver medallist in the 800m freestyle, with Ledecky winning on both occasions.
Titmus remains world-record holder
Titmus also set world records in the 200m and 400m freestyle, with her time in the former - one minute and 52.23 seconds - still standing.
Swimming the time at the 2024 Australian Olympic trials in Brisbane, she became the first Australian woman since Shane Gould in 1972 to concurrently hold the 200m and 400m freestyle world records.
She twice broke the 400m freestyle world record during her career, with her personal best of 3:55.38 bettered by McIntosh (3:54.18) in June this year.
The Brisbane-based swimmer - who grew up in Tasmania - was a nominee for the 2025 Laureus World Comeback of the Year award for her performances at the Paris Olympics after she recovered from surgery to remove an ovarian tumour.
She described the health scare as a "turning point", forcing her to re-assess her life outside the pool.
"It probably was the first time where I considered some things outside of swimming," Titmus said.
"Delving more into those health challenges, I've really had to look within and think about what's most important to me and beyond swimming.
"I've always had goals in my personal life, but swimming has always been most important up until this point and I've just realised that those goals and what I want in my future is now more important to me.
"But more than anything, I'm excited for what's next."
Titmus's success extended to the Commonwealth Games, where she claimed seven gold medals and a silver at the Birmingham (2022) and Gold Coast (2018) editions.
- ABC
