Australian Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus has revealed she was born fighting for every breath as she came into the world with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck.
Growing up, Ariarne lived in a beautiful four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Chelmer, a suburb of Brisbane, after the family moved from Launceston, Tasmania, where she was born.
His father, Steve, is known in Queensland as a presenter on Channel Seven Gold Coast News, while his mother, Robyn, works as a recruitment consultant.
However, their idyllic lifestyle almost turned tragic the moment Ariarne was born.
Her family have revealed their joy quickly turned to terror when she was born blue and motionless due to the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck.
Ariarne needed an oxygen mask immediately as she struggled to breathe and a video recorded by her father shows a doctor administering medication to her.
Steve believes surviving the life-threatening experience gave the Olympic gold medalist an invisible armor.
“We really believe that first hour set his mindset for life,” he said. News Corporation.
“That was the beginning of her character as a fighter for life. It’s almost as if she was never going to give up from that point on.”
Ariarne Titmus is pictured with her father Steve, who captured on video the near tragedy when the Olympic gold medalist was born.
Ariarne Titmus (pictured with her parents and sister Mia) is known for her fighting spirit in and out of the pool.
Ariarne (pictured with her mother Robyn) has always been a water baby since her troubled arrival into the world.
Ariarne agrees.
“I really believe in those things,” he said.
“I think there’s something inside me that kept me going that day. I might not have made it, but I think I’ve carried that throughout my life. I feel like I have that fight when I run and in life. I feel really grateful to be here.”
As the Tasmanian-born swimming great prepares for her Paris Olympics campaign, Steve often reflects on those fateful first minutes.
Ariarne’s fight to survive is a testament to the courage and determination that has seen her overcome many challenges, including recent health issues.
After winning two gold medals at the World Swimming Championships, Ariarne discovered she had benign tumours on her ovary during an MRI scan on a painful hip last year.
She underwent surgery to remove the tumors in August and says it has changed her mindset.
“To be honest, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,” she said.
“I’m only young once and I want to make the most of this moment in my life.”
Titmus will have the hopes of a nation on his shoulders as he prepares to defend his titles at the Paris Olympics.
The great Australian swimmer gave it her all, mentally and physically, at the Tokyo Olympics
The 23-year-old Olympic hopeful is determined to seize every opportunity and enjoy every moment.
“The opportunity I have to compete in the Olympic Games, not only being an Olympian but fighting for medals and gold medals, is very rare,” she said.
“I just want to take advantage of every opportunity I can and enjoy the moment. When I was younger, I was always thinking of something new, but as I get older, I try to immerse myself in the moment and enjoy it more.”
In Paris, Titmus will attempt to become the first Australian woman to defend her Olympic title since the great Dawn Fraser did so more than half a century ago.
Her journey to the Tokyo Olympics was fraught with pressure, leaving her on the brink of collapse both physically and mentally.
She won gold in the 200m and 400m freestyle, silver in the 800m and a bronze medal in the 4x200m relay in 2021.
Once her busy racing schedule was complete, she was too exhausted to feel elated.
“The last time I played in the Olympics, it was a very confusing thing for me,” Titmus told the En Route to Paris podcast.
“It was probably the most grueling, exhausting week of my life. I was probably most proud of my performance in the 800m (where she finished second, behind fierce rival Katie Ledecky), to be honest.
When that race ended, I felt like I was in a pressure cooker; then it was time to release the valve.
Reflecting on the end of her Olympic journey, she said: “I collapsed, my mind and body were completely relaxed for the first time in nine days. I just collapsed. It was the most unreal feeling; it was all over.”