By: Jessica Wang

Ariarne Titmus of Australia, also known as the “World’s Best Swimmer” or “The Terminator,” will be missing the swimming world championships held in Budapest on Saturday. Instead of competing, “I’ll definitely be asleep,” Titmus tells The New York Times.

Titmus is most known for holding the 400 M freestyle record which she set at the Australian Championships. She rose to fame in 2019 when she beat Katie Ledecky from the US, setting a new World Record. Then, in the 2020 Olympic games, Titmus once again crushed Katie Ledecky.

So why would the world’s best swimmer miss out? “The Terminator,” says that she doesn’t need to be there, nor does she care much for being in the spotlight that the World Championships offer. Titmus adds, “That’s not why I swim. I swim because I love it and I want to perform on the biggest stage, which for me is the Olympic Games.”

However, “The Terminator” will be racing at the Commonwealth Games in England from late July to early August. The Commonwealth Games, or the Friendly Games, are held every four years and the Commonwealth Nations will be participating in this event (including Australia).

Born in Launceston, Australia, Titmus always had an affinity for water, even at a young age. At seven, the prodigy joined a swim club and started racing.

Titmus’ coach, Dean Boxall, revealed that “when we first came together, Arnie was 38 seconds off Katie in the 800-meter freestyle, she was 16 seconds off Katie in the 400 and she was eight seconds off Katie in the 200.”

According to The New York Times, at age 14, Titmus made it into the Junior World Championships in 2015 but moved to Brisbane to chase her dreams of becoming a professional swimmer. In 2016, “The Terminator” debuted in the Dolphins, an Australian swim team. In 2017, she raced at the World Championships where she won a bronze.

Two years later, Titmus dethroned Ledecky and set her own record for the 400 M free at the World Championships.

Yet, she still deeply respects Ledecky. Except when they are pool racing, “she’s my biggest rival,” Titmus says.