Australian superstar Ariarne Titmus, who announced her retirement in October, spoke about her rivalry with American distance swimmer Katie Ledecky, saying Ledecky was the “Goliath” that helped her reach her peak.
Titmus spoke with reporters in Brisbane a few days after her retirement announcement, saying “It is a big weight off my shoulders… it’s bloody hard going into an Olympic Games as the favorite.”
She went on to talk about a dinner she had with famous coach Dean Boxall after the announcement where he first made the comparison to the biblical story of David and Goliath, referring to Titmus as the young shepherd boy.
Titmus reportedly got teary as she described her relationship with Ledecky. “Racing the best ever in Katie Ledecky was my Goliath. I’m so proud of the way I took that challenge on.”
She went on to talk about their friendship as well, saying “I’m more proud of the friendship I have with her.”
“Katie was one of the first people to send me a personal message — congratulating me, saying I’ll be missed and thanking me for the challenge, ” she said. “It shows you can leave everything in the pool and still be a good person when you’re not racing and I hope I’ve left that legacy as well.”
Titmus was the first person to beat Ledecky in the 400 freestyle at a major international meet when she won the event at the 2019 World Championships swimming 3:58.76 to come in more than a second ahead of Ledecky’s 3:59.97.
She went on to win the race at the postponed 2020 Olympic Games in a new World Record time, swimming 3:56.69 to become the first person to break a Ledecky World Record.
Titmus also won the race at the 2023 World Championships and at the 2024 Olympic Games, with Summer McIntosh added into the equation.
People have tried to create rivalries for Katie with other swimmers, but Arnie was truly it. They overlapped in multiple events (200, 4×200, 400, 800) and pushed each other. They also both speak so highly of each other. I’m still sad she retired. It would have been nice to see them go out together in ’28. Although I respect Arnie so much for recognizing she was mentally done and calling it.
Competition… good for the swimmers…good for the sport!
Would it be fair to say Ariarne was Mollie’s ‘Goliath’ in the 200 free? Does anyone know how close the two swimmers were in this event leading up to Paris?
No. It’s not the same (in my opinion)
SwimSwam Podcast w/ Arnie? Ah, well. We can dream.
Titmus retired to early. She will regret
LONGEVITY VS PEAK?
Titmus wasn’t interested in longevity. She retired so she can enjoy her life.
2016 Ledecky or 2021 titmus?
Ledecky beats her in longevity and peak.
But Titmus is one of the best ever for sure
Titmus must have had some type of subtle intimidation factor. I don’t otherwise know how to explain Ledecky and McIntosh never at their best against her.
I don’t think Titmus ever lost to McIntosh. And Ledecky from 2019 forth never fired a great race against Titmus. Not that I remember. Maybe ISL or something. Tokyo 400 was good, kind of same level as McIntosh’s 400 silver in Paris, given comparative pool times. But Ledecky was either very ordinary by her standards or even subpar at 200. Ledecky beat Titmus twice for gold at 800 but neither was a top tier performance, more a case of late meet and Titmus not at her best at the distance. Ledecky had to… Read more »
Yes, it is pretty easy to forget how Ledecky handily beat Titmus in an ISL 400 Free SCM race when Titmus had to travel to and compete in USA/North America for her first and only time. It’s also apparently easy for many to forget all the other times Ledecky beat Titmus and/or her AUS-SPW teammates in match-ups in the 400 Free (pre-2019) and 800 Free (all of them), and 1500 Free (all of them); and how Titmus ghosted the 2022 and 2025 Worlds (Budapest and Singapore) due to swimming’s competitive pressures, as she noted now and at the time. Titmus doesn’t forget though, hence her respect for Ledecky.
Oh wow you are really reaching on your 400 facts here aren’t you ? Pre 2019, Titmus was 17 I think.
2022 was a surprise Worlds and Titmus had already decided what events she would attend that year ( trials and then Comm games). She broke the WR at trials.
2025 she had retired.
She’s always been very clear on wanting kids etc.
She knows what it would take to win in 2026, 2027 and 2028 and she doesn’t want to commit to that training anymore.
She’s a 3 time Olympic individual medalist. Show some respect.
Sorry, 3 time individual Olympic gold medalist. Plus 3 other individual medals. Plus 2 relay medals.
So apparently now it is an unfair “reach” to recollect Ledecky beating Titmus in 400-800 because Titmus was only “17 I think”? Ledecky was an Olympic Champion in the 800 Free at age 15, World Champion in 400 Free and 800 Free at age 16, a two-time World Champion in the 400-800 at age 18, and a six-time Olympic medalist, five-time Oly gold medalist and WR holder in three events by age 19. Was it also an unfair “reach” for Ledecky to beat both Titmus and Pallister at the Paris Olympics when Ledecky was 28 years old?
No one compares to Ledecky obviously. But it wouldn’t hurt to acknowledge Titmus was the best 400 swimmer for a number of years. But you won’t.
“She’s a 3 time Olympic individual medalist”
SIX Olympic individual medalist. 3 in Tokyo and 3 in Paris, 200-400-800.
Only 7 female swimmers ever did better than her, based on Olympic individual medals.
But there always semed to be an undercurrent of ambivalence or ennui or mental pressure (only she would know which) about Titmus towards swimming. Probably not helped by injuries to her shoulder and hip under Boxall’s training, and the platelet-rich blood plasma injections and other physiological challenges she endured.Titmus has now retired and moved to Melbourne after an Ash Barty-like truncated career and says a weight is off her shoulders–maybe Boxall with his silly backward Biblical analogies was the one whom she really needed to dispatch as her Goliath?
“2025 she had retired”. Nope. Don’t re-write history. January 2025 Titmus said she was bailing from the 2025 World Championships to take a “mental break” and that LA28 was her goal. She didn’t retire or leave the testing pool until October 2025 post-Singapore World Champs when she saw Ledecky still killing it in pool, and McIntosh and Pallister ascendant in 400-800. She pulled the same move with 2022 Budapest World Championships, dodged Ledecky-USA (and McIntosh) after mixed Tokyo results (remember the 4×200 Free Relay in Tokyo? the 800 Free in Tokyo?) citing pressure of the sport and swimming against Ledecky.
I already explained 2022. And obviously in 2025 she had finished swimming but had not announced it.
Ledecky is obviously brilliant but you won’t acknowledge any of Titmus’ achievements.
Did Ledecky dodge Lani at SC world champs. Just because someone misses a major meet in a post Olympic year doesn’t mean they dodged someone.
On both occasions (2022 and 2025) Titmus herself explicitly and dramatically sought out international media to say she was skipping/dodging/ghosting (or whatever you wish to call it) the World Champ meets based on “intensity ” of mental and competitive “pressures”. It was extremely well-documented. By her!! She did not announce her retirement until October 2025, until after the results of 2025 Worlds set her on an obvious path.
https://swimswam.com/ariarne-titmus-opts-out-of-2025worlds-but-has-eyes-on-la2028/
Ledecky put up her best 400 free in 5 years at the Tokyo Olympics, 3:57.2. That was a phenomenal performance.
Awsi no doubt.
You kept saying Summer and Ledecky will destroy Titmus.
Now you’re saying Ledecky and McIntosh were intimidated by Titmus.
Boring.
I don’t think Titmus ever lost to McIntosh….at the same age(18-19) Summer is a lot faster than Titmus at the same age.In her prime her times will be VERY much faster.
Arnie didn’t break the WR until 2022 Nationals.
Yes, 3:56.40 on 22 May, 2022, then 3:55.38 in Fukuoka on 23 July 2023.