Ariarne Titmus Announces Retirement Plan After 2028 Olympics

Ariarne Titmus will retire from swimming after the 2028 LA Olympics.

What led to this decision?

She has been taking this season off from competing and plans to return for a 2028 Olympic bid. Titmus said she's at the "tail end" of her career and wants to channel different areas of her life.

Why the break?

She needs to give herself a break, and a long break, to build back her hunger and motivation. Titmus has swum 3,000 meters total since last summer and wants to enjoy life. She had two months off after Tokyo but felt it wasn't long enough.

What's next for Ariarne Titmus?

Titmus won Olympic 200m and 400m freestyle titles at Tokyo 2020 and earned gold in the 400m free and the 4x200m free relay at the Paris Games. She has been American Katie Ledecky's primary rival for several years. Australia hosts the 2032 Brisbane Games, when Titmus will be 31, but she won't compete. No Australian female swimmer 31 or older has ever competed at the Olympics.

Career highlights

Titmus told her coach, Dean Boxall, that she would be "running on fumes" by the end of 2024. Fellow Australian swim star Kaylee McKeown also plans to make LA 2028 her final Olympics. McKeown swept the 100m and 200m backstrokes in Tokyo and Paris. She has continued to compete since then and has a total of five Olympic gold medals. Titmus and McKeown can win individual gold at a third Olympics in 2028. Only one previous Australian, swimmer Dawn Fraser, has accomplished this feat.