Australian Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus reportedly will skip the 2024 World Championships next February to focus on defending her 200-meter freestyle and 400 free titles at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Her coach, Dean Boxall, told Swimming World that Titmus needs to “get back into work” and “find her groove” coming off a surgery in September addressing an ovarian tumor scare.
“It is now 10 weeks since Arnie’s operation and I can tell you it has taken some time; we were slow in the recovery to make sure she was right,” Boxall said. “This was a big operation, and it took a bit of time, but she is all good now. She needs to get back into work. She needs to find her groove. She knows it’s the Olympic year for her next year. She needs to lay down that platform and keep building forward — that’s where she gets her confidence.
The 23-year-old world record holder in the 400 free (3:55.38) will return to racing next month at the Queensland State Championships, but Boxall says Titmus is still in the “platform building stage” and that he “won’t be expecting anything.”
“It’s a matter of getting the juices going again,” Boxall said of Titmus competing at the Queensland State Championships, which run from Dec. 9-15 at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre. “Our group will then all go to Thailand for (our annual) training camp for three weeks from January 10… sticking to our routine.
“There will be others (in my group) who will go to Doha,” Boxall said. “I want a lot of guys to go to the Worlds, but Arnie goes back home to get ready to race again, probably in March and then at the Australian Championships on the Gold Coast in April.”
There are a host of big names skipping the 2024 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, due to the meet’s proximity to the Paris 2024 Olympics just about five months later. So far the list includes Summer McIntosh, Katie Ledecky, David Popovici, Regan Smith, Maggie MacNeil, Josh Liendo, Ryan Murphy, and Bobby Finke, to name a few. The U.S. is sending just five women to Doha as part of an 18-athlete roster.
Related: The Biggest Names Skipping the 2024 World Championships in Doha
Boxall added that Titmus is a “smarter version of herself” than what we witnessed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“She’s a way smarter and stronger athlete,” he said. “She is not naïve. She knows what she needs to do and she continues to become a better version of herself — in saying that we have not seen the best version of Arnie yet…either.
“This girl sets the work ethic of our program. Everyone knows what is expected — they are all working harder or as hard as Arnie. That’s our ingredient. She is just tough. She understands (our) swimmer-coach relationship and success. She knows where she needs to go to get there and has just become smarter about it.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-30/australian-swim-team-halved-for-next-world-titles/103174266
plexiglass walls and railings are breathing a sigh of relief.
Lol his many other swimmers have not yet announced though…
wait, he does that for his other swimmers?
The comments in this thread looks to be a copy and paste from the same people prior to the 2023 World Swimming Championships.
Yes,the same WC 400m Final where Arnie went out and destroyed the field to smash and reclaim the World Record.
Keep it coming!
If the past 4 years tell me something: Ariarne Titmus thrives on people doubting her and chasing target.
When she beat Ledecky in 2019 Worlds, people said she beat Ledecky only because Ledecky was sick. So she went out and proved people wrong by beating Ledecky decisively in 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The next target for her was 400 free WR, and she accomplished that in 2022 despite 2022 being an off year for her.
Next challenge was when McIntosh broke her 400 free WR and people already wrote her off and said her time has ended since McIntosh is younger. She proved them all wrong in unbelievable fashion, leaving behind Ledecky and McIntosh far behind in her wake on the… Read more »
The peanut gallery is playing right into her hands lol.
Aussie Aussie Aussie, oye oye oye, Summer McIntosh is going to Destroy oye oye
She’s not going?
Erica Fairweather from New Zealand should start favourite in the 400, maybe Lani in the 800?
Lani in 800 only if Li Bingjie doesn’t go.
So once again if ledeckey skips, thats okay, but if titmus skips (post-surgery), its mindset. Righto
Smart, a loss at worlds and the olympics would be a sad end to her career. But if she just loses at the olympics she will join a long list of awe-see’s.
I think only you would think that way
Not much Love in that comment.
I see haters are already scared Titmus will triumph once again in Paris.
Titmus keeps proving the haters wrong – again and again. You’d think they would give up after how she dominated the 400 at Fukuoka.
you need a hug
She is unbeaten at the 400 m free since 2018. Even if Katie and Summer were going to Doha (they aren’t), Ariarne would have been the clear favourite for the 400 free. With them not going, Ariarne could have swum a heat time and won, so to imply she is avoiding a loss is absolute nonsense – she is actually giving up a certain victory. And she will probably swim on post-Paris no matter the result. I think your post is a contender for most nonsensical this year (although you have quite a few contenders, a few of which were posts dissing Titmus pre WCs).
I’m not sure she would be the favourite so early in the season after having a delayed start to her training.
Possibly, although you will remember at the Australian trials in May 2022, after a long break post-Tokyo and when she doubted her preparation had been good enough to justify going to Budapest, she broke Katie’s WR.
Lack of preparation wasn’t why she skipped Budapest and she was clearly aiming for WRs at 2022 trials and you could see her disappointment when missing it in the 200 before getting over the line in the 400.
When she was interviewed post-race she said she was very surprised by her time and that she had thought her preparation had not been long enough. She had said in prior interviews that she didn’t want to go to WCs without a good enough prep. I think she is a perfectionist who thinks her prep isn’t good enough when probably, by any other standard it is.
I still remember how Swimswam peanut gallery attacked Titmus for skipping 2022 Budapest World Championship, saying “Titmus is scared of Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky”
😁
I think the Titmus-haters find fault with Ariarne no matter what she ever says or does.
Oh please, with the martyrdom. There was solid reporting by Reuters of Titmus’ own comments on “mental fatigue” and “pressure” regarding her competition prior to her skipping the 2022 Budapest meet:
Titmus undecided on another Ledecky showdown | Reuters
“…the battle … comes with external pressure.”
“I didn’t really want to have to deal with that pressure again (at Budapest).”
“I remember when I was Summer’s age, I wasn’t swimming 4:01, 4:02… (McIntosh) is going to be a force to be reckoned with…There is this unbelievable depth (in the 400 meter Free).”
So, whether you wish to label it as fear of her competition or as “mental fatigue”, it’s a bit revisionist to… Read more »
A big difference to having a choice (she chooses not to put herself under the pressure) instead of the ‘Peanut gallery’ attacking her for fearing to face her opposition.
Literally almost all of your post history is attacking Australians. You barely contribute anything else. So it’s ironic that you in particular think Australians are acting like martyrs.
Oh this is so true. There’s hundreds of them. Any article about Australians they just come out of nowhere to make allegations. Over and over and over again.
https://swimswam.com/mollie-ocallaghan-overcomes-debilitating-cramp-to-help-aussies-to-relay-world-record/#comment-1140245
https://swimswam.com/dean-boxall-wins-record-setting-4th-australian-coach-of-the-year-award/#comment-1266120
https://swimswam.com/australia-names-39-swimmers-to-2023-world-championships-roster/#comment-1208018
https://swimswam.com/mollie-ocallaghan-repeats-as-swimming-australias-olympic-program-swimmer-of-the-year/#comment-1279637
That’s a good thing, isn’t it, especially when they are all valid and factual concerns expressed in an appropriate forum? It seems strange, doesn’t it, that Swimming QLD (home to O’Callaghan, Titmus, McKeon, S. Jack, Boxall) was the only state federation to vote against provisions for stronger AUS Board and World Aquatics oversight? Again, a fact, not an allegation. CEO Hasemann said there hasn’t even been a whiff of scandal in Swimming QLD–which of course (again, factually) is a ridiculous statement.
They’re really not factual at all though, are they? They’re just obsessive repeated attacks on Australian swimmers with completely unfounded allegations of cheating. And almost every time, a bunch of random burner accounts, which are quite obviously also you, chime in to demand a WADA or ITA investigation. It’s actually quite concerning.
https://swimswam.com/wr-holder-ariarne-titmus-im-feeling-reallygood-for-commgames/#comment-1102771
https://swimswam.com/mollie-ocallaghan-overcomes-debilitating-cramp-to-help-aussies-to-relay-world-record/#comment-1140245
https://swimswam.com/mollie-ocallaghan-on-world-champs-aussie-sprint-culture-dean-boxall/#comment-1098448
https://swimswam.com/shayna-jack-tops-emma-mckeon-on-day-one-of-nsw-state-championships/#comment-1164943
Everything stated is factual and/or documented or supported, or (rest assured) has already been reported under appropriate procedures for current investigation. Or has already been a finding of the all-female Independent Commission. And yes, everything stated is concerning. You should be seeking reforms rather than trying to push back on the message or messenger, but perhaps that is your job or hobby. You post a lot more than I do, sir or madam.
Paris Olympics: Swimming Australia avoids World Aquatics takeover after historic vote
Swimming Australia Independent Panel report findings | Sportzhub
Swimming Australia Plunged Into Crisis Over Details Of Shocking Abuse Report – StateOfSwimming
please explain “with maybe a bit of envy of l’affaire McKeon-Simpson thrown in?). The kind of approach that leads to a rather lethargic recent 4:06-8:29-16:21 combo at QLD age grouper meet.”
when titmus did what was very clearly an inseason time, and was never dating anyone at any point in the past year (if she was, she made an effort to keep it private which further weakens your point). you say all your comments are grounded in reality, but this is solely supported by the daily mail, which is hardly a bastion of journalistic integrity.
https://swimswam.com/swimswams-official-2022-swammy-awards-index/#comment-1142914
Not my comment, have no idea. Wasn’t there some controversy over McKeon dating the singer Simpson? This is what you care about? It’s not up my alley. BTW, this site is called SwimSwam, so I regret I can’t take credit for all posts by people calling themselves “Swammer” or those reacting to a “Swammer” post. No burner accounts or multiple names here. Sorry to disappoint Jimmyswim on that, or for any confusion.
Wow, fantastic to know we have someone who thinks they are both a psychiatrist and linguist on the site acting as a paid site monitor and defender of a Swim AUS organization which has had five leaders in three years and which was found by an independent commission to be rife with multiple forms of abuse of its swimmers. Bravo! I’ll just keep exposing and reporting things, and you can just keep calling me names. How does that sound? Fair tradeoff?
She skipped 2022 Worlds because Commonwealth Games is a bigger priority. She skips these Worlds because she had surgery and obviously the Olympics are a much bigger priority. There is no salacious news here just common sense and proper prioritization. She and her support staff are smart.