When Ariarne Titmus stretched into the blue for that unfathomably long, lithe, final stroke in the pool in Tokyo, winning the 400-meter freestyle crown from five-time Olympic gold medallist Katie Ledecky, it was hard to know where to look. Was it at Ariarne, emerging from the pool, composed, barely breathless, to graciously thank her rival. “I wouldn’t be here without her,” she said. “She set the standard.” Or at the antics of her instantly, famously kooky coach, Dean Boxall, in the stands. Or at the live cross on our telly screens to the Gold Coast, where her dad Steve, mum Robyn, little sister Mia and grandparents Sandra and Kevin hugged and kissed, hoarse from cheering, in a rush of adrenaline, laughter and tears.
It took Steve back to the first national championship race Ariarne – or Arnie as her family affectionately calls her – won, at 13, representing her home state of Tasmania.
“I remember when Arnie touched the wall,” he tells The Weekly, “we were going nuts cheering, and these Victorian kids sitting in the stands in front of us turned around and looked at us as if to say, ‘What? A Tasmanian’s not meant to win. This is crazy’.”
There was a collective double-take. “No one knew who I was,” Ariarne admits. Now, at 21, she’d beaten the best in the world. And this time everyone knew her name.
This story is from the September 2022 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2022 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Maggie's kitchen
Maggie Beer's delicious veg patties - perfect for lunch, dinner or a snack - plus a simple nostalgic pudding with fresh passionfruit.
Reclaim your brain
Attention span short? Thoughts foggy? Memory full of gaps? Brigid Moss investigates the latest ways to sharpen your thinking.
The girls from Oz
Melbourne music teacher Judith Curphey challenged the patriarchy when she started Australia's first all-girls choir. Forty years later that bold vision has 6500 members, life-changing programs and a new branch of the sisterhood in Singapore.
One kid can change the world
In 2018, 10-year-old Jack Berne started A Fiver for a Farmer to raise funds for drought relief. He and mum Prue share what happened next.
AFTER THE WAVE
Twenty years ago, the Boxing Day tsunami tore across the Indian Ocean, shredding towns, villages and holiday resorts, and killing hundreds of thousands of people from Indonesia to Africa. Three Australians share their memories of terror, loss and survival with The Weekly.
PATRICIA KARVELAS How childhood tragedy shaped me
Patricia Karvelas hustled hard to chase her dreams, but it wasn't easy. In a deeply personal interview, the ABC host talks about family loss, finding love, battles fought and motherhood.
Ripe for the picking
Buy a kilo or two of fresh Australian apricots because they're at their peak sweetness now and take inspiration from our lush recipe ideas that showcase this divine stone fruit.
Your stars for 2025
The Weekly’s astrologer, Lilith Rocha, reveals what’s in store for your astrological sign in 2025. For your monthly horoscope, turn to page 192.
MEL SCHILLING Cancer made me look at myself differently'
One year on from going public with her bowel cancer diagnosis, Mel Schilling reveals where she's at with her health journey and how it's changed her irrevocably.
Nothing like this Dame Judi
A few weeks before her 90th birthday, the acting legend jumped on a phone call with The Weekly to talk about her extraordinary life – and what’s still to come.
