SWIM STARS
In her first Olympics, Ariarne Titmus, 20, was a giant killer, taking down dominant US swimmer Katie Ledecky to win two golds in the 200m and 400m freestyle. “I wouldn’t be here without her,” said Titmus of their rivalry. “If I didn’t have someone like her to chase, I definitely wouldn’t be swimming the way I am.”
The Tasmania-born star, who is also taking home a silver in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, tipped her hat to her coach Dean Boxall, too. “I’m a little bit calmer, so it kind of balances out his craziness,” said Titmus of Boxall, whose off-the-wall reactions to her victory went viral. “It’s not often in life you come across someone you feel like you have this incredible bond with.”
It’s a bond she shares with the rest of the team as well. “The connection we have is the reason we’re able to swim fast,” she gushed. “This is one of the best moments of my life, I’m so happy to share it with an amazing bunch of people.”