On Thursday 30 November, proudly represented by her parents Robyn and Steve, Ariarne Titmus took out the Tasmanian Athlete of the Year Award for the third time at a special cocktail function hosted by the TIS and supported by 7Tasmania
The finalists for the 2023 Tasmanian Athlete of the Year were; Nathaniel Atkinson (football), Georgia Baker (cycling), Kate Eckhardt (canoe slalom), Will Sargent (sailing) and Ariarne Titmus (swimming).
The award recognises outstanding performances at the international level, contribution to the athlete’s sport with judging based on athlete performances recorded during the period of November 2022 ‑ October 2023.
Ariarne’s 2023 Season
At the Australian Championships in April, Ariarne was able to pick up gold medals in the 800m freestyle and her pet event, the 400m freestyle. She also earned silver in the 200m freestyle.
Fast forward three months to the World Aquatic Championships in Japan and the much-hyped match race between Ariarne and America’s Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle.
Ariarne controlled the race from start to finish and powered home to beat Katie Ledecky by over 3 seconds. In doing so, she set a new world record time of 3:55.38.
It was a dominant display by Ariarne, who can certainly now be revered as the queen of the 400m freestyle.
Ariarne then joined her teammates in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay. They not only won gold, but also set a new world record time of 7:37.50.
In the 200m freestyle, Ariarne was pipped by fellow Australian Mollie O’Callaghan, having to settle for the Silver.
Ariarne’s final event was the 800m freestyle, where she again graced the podium with a bronze medal.
In all, Ariarne won two gold medals, a silver and a bronze, and broke two world records.
Congratulations Ariarne, we wish you all the very best as you head into 2024!