Rise of the Terminator: Arnie’s 10 greatest feats in the pool

Ariarne Titmus hangs up her goggles as one of Australia’s greatest swimmers.

Her retirement at the age of 25, a year older than Ian Thorpe when he bowed out in 2006, sees her depart the sport as an icon.

She has been a formidable force on the world stage since 2018, producing some of the greatest moments in Australian sport this century.

Here are 10 of her finest performances.

1. 400m freestyle gold – 2021 Tokyo Olympics

As Titmus said on Thursday, nothing compares to your first Olympic gold medal. To do it against the best female swimmer in history makes it all the sweeter.

Titmus was up against US superstar Katie Ledecky on the opening night of competition at the Tokyo Games.

The Australian and her coach, Dean Boxall, had spent years devising a plan to beat Ledecky. It was the source of motivation at every training session.

Ledecky, the world record holder, went out hard and led by 0.66 seconds at the 200-metre mark. With 100 metres to go, Titmus had closed the gap to 0.16 seconds – and then launched her assault.

In a brutal final sprint to the wall, Titmus powered her way to victory to claim a stunning upset and her first Olympic gold medal.

Boxall’s celebration in the stands remains the stuff of folklore.

2. 400m freestyle gold – 2024 Paris Olympics

No Australian woman had won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the same event since Dawn Fraser won 100m freestyle titles in 1956, 1960 and 1964.

This duel between Titmus, Ledecky and rising Canadian star Summer McIntosh was dubbed the Race of the Century. All three swimmers had a chance of victory, but Titmus was the narrow favourite.

Titmus went out hard and motored through the water. In the stands, Boxall could be seen screaming, “break them, break them” in the final stages as Titmus surged to victory, ahead of McIntosh by almost a second.

3. 400m freestyle gold – 2023 world championships

For the first time in years, some were writing Titmus off.

Though she was the reigning Olympic champion, her world record had been broken by McIntosh at the Canadian trials earlier in the year.

Titmus’ times at the Australian trials weren’t amazing, but she always believed she could deliver on the big stage. And in one of her most extraordinary performances, Titmus was perfect in Fukuoka.

She annihilated McIntosh’s world record by seven tenths of a second, clocking a time of 3:55.38, which remains her best in the event.

The Australian also won a $US20,000 ($30,000) world record bonus and inflicted a major psychological blow before the Paris Olympics.

“I felt like I was swimming downhill,” Titmus told this masthead afterwards.

4. 400m freestyle gold – 2019 world championships

This was the victory that announced Titmus to the world.

Still only 18, she produced a breathtaking final 50 metres to chase down Ledecky, who had dominated the event. It was Titmus’ first victory over the legend of the pool.

The American’s shock defeat was a passing-of-the-torch moment. It gave Titmus the belief she could end Ledecky’s dominance.

5. 200m freestyle gold – 2021 Tokyo Olympics

Two days after her 400m freestyle triumph, Titmus delivered again.

She held off Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey in a time of 1:53.50 to set a new Olympic record and claim her second gold of the Games.

Titmus became just the third Australian woman, after Shane Gould in 1972 and Susie O’Neill in 2000, to win the event, underlining her versatility across distances.

6. 4x200m freestyle relay gold – 2024 Paris Olympics

After a disappointing bronze medal in Tokyo, Australia’s women got the job done in Paris.

The team of Titmus, Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister and Brianna Throssell combined to win in an Olympic record time of 7:38.08.

Swimming the anchor leg, Titmus closed the show emphatically to deliver another golden moment.

7. 800m freestyle silver – 2024 Paris Olympics

The final showdown between Titmus and Ledecky at the Paris Olympics turned out to be an epic.

Ledecky reclaimed her 800m freestyle crown, but Titmus’ silver in 8:12.29, just 1.25 seconds behind the American, was testament to her competitive steel after a gruelling Olympic program.

Titmus rates it as one of her finest swims. It was a personal best and her final effort in an Olympic pool.

8. 400m freestyle gold - 2018 Commonwealth Games

Titmus’ first major international title came on home soil on the Gold Coast.

At just 17, she blitzed the field in 4:00.93 to win gold and announce herself as Australia’s next great middle-distance star.

9. 200m freestyle world record – 2024 Australian trials

In a promising dress rehearsal for Paris, Titmus produced one of the great domestic swims, clocking a time of 1:52.23 to obliterate the world record held by her training partner O’Callaghan.

Titmus smashed the water in delight as she edged out O’Callaghan, who was in the next lane.

However, a few months later, O’Callaghan got her revenge by winning gold in the event in Paris, as Titmus had to settle for silver.

10. 400m freestyle world record – 2022 Australian trials

A year after Tokyo, Titmus stunned even herself when she took down Ledecky’s long-standing world record in a time of 3:56.40.

Titmus was 0.06 seconds under Ledecky’s best mark, which had stood since 2016.

“It’s kind of nice now that I am not going to be asked when I am going to break the world record,” Titmus said at the time.