- He has already qualified for the July games.
- Looking to increase his tally to four medals
- Has closed social networks in the previous period
Swimming star Ariarne Titmus will impose a self-imposed social media ban to avoid distractions during the Paris Olympics.
Titmus will put the finishing touch on her outstanding Olympic selection trials in Brisbane on Friday when she runs for fun in the women’s 100m freestyle.
Titmus will swim the sprint as Cate Campbell’s quest to compete in a fifth Olympic Games reaches its culmination.
No Australian swimmer has competed in five Games, but Campbell is hoping to earn a spot in the 100m freestyle.
The 32-year-old faces a tough challenge to earn one of the two singles spots as the field includes last year’s world champion Mollie O’Callaghan, reigning Olympic gold medalist Emma McKeon, Shayna Jack and Meg Harris.
That quartet holds the top four spots in the 100 freestyle, with Campbell sixth.
Titmus has already qualified for the Paris Olympic Games after excellent results at the national trials in Brisbane
Titmus likes to share her glamorous side on social media, but she shut down Instagram before the Olympics to avoid distractions.
The Australian swimmer hopes to add to her Olympic record with four medals, including two gold.
Campbell and her sister Brontë, who will also swim the event on Friday in search of a fourth Olympic selection, are most likely to win places on the Australian 4x100m freestyle relay team at the Paris Games starting on July 26.
Titmus says he has no chance given he is in eighth place entering Friday morning’s heats and treats the sprint as pure fun.
The Australian is Olympic champion in the 200m and 400m freestyle and holds world records in both distances after setting a new benchmark in the 200m on Wednesday night in Brisbane.
Just 24 hours later, Titmus won the 800m freestyle – an event in which he took home a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics – to secure his third individual swim in Paris, where he will take refuge from social media.
“I will definitely be off social media for the entire race week in Paris,” Titmus said.
‘There is a lot of noise and activity and there is a lot to absorb and it is very tiring.
“During the Olympics, I will definitely be away…sometimes there is a lot of external pressure if you are in it all the time.”
Other Friday finals at the trials include the men’s 200m breaststroke and the women’s equivalent, plus the men’s 200m backstroke and men’s 1500m freestyle.
