SPLASHES TO ASHES
TASSIE’S BIG WEEK CAPPED BY WADE’S CALL-UP
MATTHEW Wade has capped an unforgettable week for Tasmanian sport with his overdue inclusion in Australia’s squad for the Ashes cricket series in England. Wade, right, was late last night named in the 17-man squad to be captained by fellow Tasmanian Tim Paine ahead of the First Test next Thursday. Launceston-raised Ariarne Titmus, left, was meanwhile resting after winning her second gold medal of the swimming world championships as part of a new world record-setting 4x200m Australian team.
WINNING two gold medals at ththe world swimming championships won’t get Tasmanian teenager Ariane Titmus out of her chores around the house. Titmus, 18, grew up in Tasmania and now resides in Brisbane with her family. Her father Steve said she was a normal teenager who loves cooking and singer Shawn Mendes. “Our household at home is very much just a normal home, and certaintainly we still see her as a normal teenager and still expect her to do things like keep her bedroom tidy and all those sorts of things,” Steve said.
“As far as we’re concerned, she happens to be on top of the world, but that doesn’t change the fact that, for us, she’s Arnie, our daughter.”
On Thursday night, Titmus helped Australia take out the women’s 4x200m freesn style relay gold medal and break a 10-year-old world record in the process.
The gold medal was her second of the world championships in South Korea, after she beat American superstar Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle, and she also picked up silver in the 200m freestyle.
Steve said the family’s task after Titmus’s breakthrough championships would be “to keep life as normal as possible”.
“We’ve got to make sure that the preparation for the 2020 Olympics is perfect, and therefore we don’t want to see massive change come into her life as a result of now being a world champion and a world record holder.
“That will be a challenge, as we know, it’s never easy in those situations but we’re pretty rehearsed at it now
over the past couple of years.”
Steve said despite having turned 18, Titmus did not drink alcohol or go out clubbing.
“She’s so dedicated to her swimming, which is one of the reasons why she’s been so successful, but she’s got a really good close-knit group of friends who are swimmers, and those who aren’t swimmers, they fully understand the situation that she’s in, which is terrific,” he said.
Steve said for Titmus to help win the 4x200m freestyle and break the world record on Thursday night was “staggering,” and he was “enormously proud”.
“It was a great call by Dean Boxall, the coach, to have Ariarne go first, she had clean water straight off the blocks which enabled her — the time that she swam set a new Oceania, Commonwealth, and Australian record, which was in fact her own record,” he said.
“She led the relay away with a fabulous first leg, gave them a really great lead, which meant then that really Madison Wilson and Brianna Throssell in the middle just needed to keep it all together, hang on to it there, and then Emma McKeon was able to bring it home. It was stomach-in-the-mouth stuff, though, the Americans were finishing strongly and had a chance to win the race, but it was Emma’s final leg that was absolutely fantastic to hold on.”
A RESTLESS night has not stopped Australia’s Ariarne Titmus from dreaming of another upset over American great Katie Ledecky.
Titmus tossed and turned on Thursday night, still buzzing from helping Australia pull off a stunning 4x200m freestyle relay win at the world swimming titles in South Korea.
The Dolphins women’s relay team set a world record at Gwangju to claim the 4x200m world crown for the first time. It ensured an exhausted Titmus arrived for last night’s 800m freestyle heats, where she resumed her rivalry with Ledecky.
But Titmus was confident she could back up her 400m freestyle win over the American great after qualifying third fastest for tonight’s 800m final.
A fatigued Titmus cruised to clock 8min, 19.43sec — two seconds behind Americans Leah Smith and Ledecky respectively.
“I’m pretty tired. But I backed up here after a big night — I’m pretty happy,” she said.
The relay win may have cost Titmus plenty of sleep but the 18-year-old was confident she had enough in the tank to challenge Ledecky in the 800.
“It took me a while to get to sleep last night. I think 3.30am was the last time I looked at my phone,” Titmus said. “To do that last night was so exciting but I’ve had to forget about that now. I’ve got another job to do.”