Ariarne Titmus Reflects on Her Retirement Decision
Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus has opened up about the surprising reactions to her retirement from competitive swimming, admitting there is one question she has yet to be asked since making the announcement.
In an interview on the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About with host Sarrah Le Marquand, the four-time Olympic gold medallist described how the response to her news caught her off guard.
“I knew it would be a shock to a lot of people. It was quite out of the blue,” Titmus said.
She explained that the reaction was far more intense than she expected once she shared the news with the public.
“The morning I hit post at 8am Brisbane time, within half an hour, all over social media there were already articles and clips,” she recalled.
Titmus said she anticipated people might not understand her reasoning, given that she retired while still performing at her best.
“I am at the top of my game, I’m still only 25, and I was concerned that the wider public wouldn’t understand my reasoning. But I haven’t had one person asking me why.”
She added that she felt fulfilled by her accomplishments in the pool and ready to embrace new opportunities. A key moment in her decision came during her time commentating at the World Championships in July.
Author’s Summary
Ariarne Titmus shared that despite her unexpected retirement from swimming, no one has asked her why she chose to end her career, leaving her both surprised and content with her decision.