"Still the biggest pinch-me moment"- Ariarne Titmus gets overwhelmed with emotions after receiving major home state honor

Ariarne Titmus expressed her thoughts after receiving a major home state honor while being on tour. The Australian swimmer shared that she had the 'biggest pinch me' moment when she witnessed that the pool that she grew up swimming in was named after her.

Titmus marched into the Paris Olympics as the defending champion in the women's 400m freestyle. She competed against a highly competitive lineup of athletes, which included Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh. Ariarne Titmus asserted her dominance to successfully defend her title with a performance of 3:57.49.

Canada's Summer McIntosh finished second with a performance of 3:58.37, and Katie Ledecky won the bronze medal after clocking 4:00.86. Moreover, Titmus won the gold medal in the women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay and a silver medal in the Women's 200m Freestyle as well as the Women's 800m Freestyle.

After her Paris Olympics glory, Titmus was named the 'Tasmanian of the year' and became the first athlete to receive the honor four times. She recently embarked on a tour with recipients of the award, interacting with local communities and motivating the youth. Amid the tour, Ariarne Titmus was overwhelmed with emotions after witnessing an honor in the pool where she grew up swimming. She shared a picture in front of the name of the pool, which read, 'City of Launceston Leisure and Aquatics Centre - Ariarne Titmus Competition Pool.'

Titmus expressed her thoughts after witnessing the major honor and wrote:

"Here in my home state, Tasmania, on a tour with the other Tasmanian of the year recipients, interacting with local communities. This is still the biggest pinch-me moment. To see the pool I grew up swimming in with my name on the wall is the greatest honor and reminds me of where it all started."

Titmus expresses her thoughts about receiving a major honor | Instagram@ariarnetitmus_

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Ariarne Titmus opens up about defeating Katie Ledecky

Swimming - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 1 - Source: Getty

Ariarne Titmus spoke about defeating Katie Ledecky in an interview with Olympics.com. The Australian swimmer expressed that she had put forward her best effort while competing in the event and shared her elation at challenging such a great swimmer.

Titmus spoke about the fierce competition in events like the Olympics and shared how it is a very difficult task to stay at the top for such a long time. She lauded Katie Ledecky for pushing the limits of the sport with her incredible pursuits in the pool.

"I felt like I took it to her. I challenged her. I made it a great race, and I gave it everything. She just had an extra bit in the legs at the end. She's an absolute champion. I know how hard it is to defend a title. It's so much harder to win it a second time, and to be on top for over 12 years is unbelievable," he said.

Moreover, Ariarne Titmus thanked Katie Ledecky for helping her to become a better swimmer and compete with a fierce winning spirit.