Ariarne Titmus comes home to Launceston (12/10/24)

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus has come home to Launceston to visit her fans. Video by Aaron Smith (12/10/24)

Transcript

00:00I always make it known that I'm Tasmanian, I try to make it known as much as I can and

00:05I think coming back here it's really important to actually see the people that have been

00:10supporting me for a long time since I've left and being away in Queensland probably feels

00:15very far removed from Tassie and for little kids that are swimming or anyone that looks

00:21up to me they probably feel like it's a distant stretch to maybe get to meet me or see me

00:25so it's really important to come down and give back where I can.

00:29The craziest thing about being in Launceston is that kind of peace where everyone does

00:34really know each other and I was in St Helens a couple of days ago and I was just waiting

00:39out in front of a coffee shop and this couple walked past me and they go, hi Aunty you used

00:44to swim with our son Will in Launceston or then I was with one of our family friends

00:50and then we posted a photo together and then a lot of people have been coming up to me

00:54I saw you with Marcus, you know everyone kind of knows everyone and it gives you that peace

00:58of home feeling that you don't quite get on the mainland and I feel like that's kind

01:03of where I really sit with Launceston.

01:05In the past I'd come back here and I'd actually be quite excited to get back to the hustle

01:10and bustle of the big city but I'm really enjoying the peace and quiet down here.

01:15My life has been really hectic since Paris and Launceston offers or Tassie offers something

01:21that the mainland doesn't and it's just like natural serenity that you can't really find

01:27in a big city and I'm really enjoying that.

01:29A ritual that I've kind of brought into my swimming is that every time I finish a race

01:34no matter where it is in the world, what event it is, I touch the wall and I take my first

01:39cap off and my goggles and I think to myself, yup that's the absolute best I've got today

01:45and then turn around and look at the scoreboard and see the placing or the time because I

01:49never want to let my result determine how I'm feeling and you've got to really give

01:56100% of what percentage you've got that day.

01:59If you're feeling 50% give 100% of that 50%.

02:01I think it's really important to not let the outcome rule your world.

02:05I haven't even thought about the LA Olympics.

02:07I'm still kind of just thinking about what I achieved in Paris and living in the moment.

02:12I never really have lived in the moment in my swimming career and I'm consciously making

02:17an effort to live in the moment and not think about the future.

02:20Actually my last time I stood on pool deck in Paris it was after my 800 free medal ceremony.

02:26I was walking off pool deck and I just turned around and looked at the stadium and looked

02:32out into the crowd and listened and you never know when you're going to get another opportunity

02:37like that.

02:38It's never a given to be selected onto the national team.

02:40It's never a given that you're going to be selected for the next Olympics.

02:44Things change very quickly.

02:45It's four years away and I wanted to make sure I absolutely remembered what that moment

02:51was for me and I'm really proud of the conscious efforts I made to really do that.

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