By: Puter Kang

The Australian record-breaking swimmer Ariarne Titmus shocked millions of people across the world when she discussed her retirement on the opening night of the national trials on Tuesday. She revealed that she is planning on ending her career after the Paris Olympics in 2024.

At the age of 22, she still hopes to keep swimming but thoughts of retiring have come into her mind. “With the intensity of my training and the intensity of having to perform on the world stage, I can’t think about anything else than the next 12 months,” she says. She also expressed the overwhelming amount of pressure ahead and the consequences of continuing her journey.

It would be jaw-dropping if Titmus retired, considering her talent, age and potential. After beating Katie Ledecky in the Tokyo Olympics in 200m and 400m freestyle and securing gold, she became one of the ones to watch in the future.

“I think if I went to Paris and won again, certainly (there might be) a motivational factor. It becomes harder to keep training at the same level when you have essentially achieved everything you wanted to achieve.” Titmus discussed.

Ariarne Titmus should choose her future wisely, and any choice will affect the development of women’s professional swimming as a sport.