Australia’s swimming Olympic team displayed their dominance with their impeccable series of performances at the Paris Olympics and secured a series of wins. However, one name dominated the waters with her series of wins. Ariarne Titmus added several feathers to her hat as she secured one individual and one team gold and two silver medals. Her victory, in what was dubbed the ‘Race of the Century’, was a testament to her unshakable dominance since 2019. 

Holding off formidable challenges seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky and Canadian prodigy Summer McIntosh, Titmus emerged as the first-ever female Olympian to take three medals in the women’s 400-meter freestyle event. Alongside her individual success, she also contributed to Australia’s 4x200m freestyle relay team, winning another gold. However, despite these accomplishments, when Swimming Australia held its prestigious annual awards, Titmus’s name was surprisingly absent from the list of attendees and honorees.

Was Ariarne Titmus overlooked at the Swimming Australia Awards as her teammates grabbed top honors?

Amid the glitz and glamour of the Swimming Australia Awards, held at Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves, the nation’s top aquatic stars gathered to celebrate their extraordinary campaigns at the Paris Games. It was a night of reflection and recognition, where the spotlight shone on athletes who had left their mark on the global stage. Yet one notable name was absent from the list of top honorees, Ariarne Titmus. Instead, her teammate Kaylee McKeown, who too had a standout Olympic campaign like Katie Ledecky, was named the Olympic Program Swimmer of the Year. 

The Queensland-born 23-year-old Aussie has already been named the ‘Best Female Swimmer of the Year’ by World Aquatics. Kaylee McKeown won two individual golds, one silver, and two bronzes in the Paris Olympics, rightly claiming a coveted position beside Ariarne Titmus. Besides emerging as a dominating force in Paris, McKeown also grabbed three golds in the World Cup legs in Berlin, Budapest, and Athens last year in all the events of backstrokes.

While McKeown’s triumphs were undoubtedly historic and rightly claimed the award she was honored with, many were left questioning why Titmus, with her own glittering achievements, was not among the award recipients. Other notable Australian swimmers alongside McKeown were awarded for their efforts in making their nation proud. Tim Hodge claimed the Paralympic Program Swimmer of the Year after he won the gold in the 200-meter medley SM9. On the other hand, Moesha Johnson earned the Open Water Swimmer of the Year after her silver in the 10km marathon swim in the waters of Seine.

Despite not being a part of the list of honorees in the awards show, Titmus won a bag full of global praise and rival admiration

Although she did not receive an award alongside her fellow Aussie swimmers, her phenomenal wins received praise not just from fans from all across the globe but from her fellow rivals and other Aussie athletes. American swimming star Katie Ledecky acknowledged the strong competition she faced from Titmus. In her autobiographical book, Just Add Water; My Swimming Life, she wrote, “Today the pool hurts. Well, I hurt. My arms and legs feel like they’re filled with cement,” when she noticed Ariarne inching close to touching the mark alongside her.

TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 26: Ariarne Titmus of Team Australia and Katie Ledecky of Team United States react after competing in the Women’s 400m Freestyle Final on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)Nina Kennedy, the Australian national record-holder pole vaulter, won the gold in the Paris Olympics. After securing the top podium finish, she expressed her pride to note that the women of her nation are shining bright in athletic realms. During the press meet at the Wanda Diamond League after the Paris Olympics, Kennedy stated, “I don’t know, I just, you know, in the swimming and the athletics, you know, everyone basically was female. I think in Australia, a lot of our men go to sports like rugby, and cricket, and AFL, so I think they’re whipped away quite early; they’re paid quite a lot. And the female athletes go more down that Olympic route. But, yeah, we did awesome.”

Still, the exclusion of Titmus from the list of honorees in the Swimming Australia award show might raise eyebrows, considering her continued dominance and contribution to Australia’s Olympic swimming success. However, despite this, Titmus remains a key figure in Australian swimming, her legacy bolstered by her consistency on the world stage. While she may not have taken home the awards this time, her performances continue to speak volumes about her prowess in the pool.