It Hurts: Ariarne Titmus Reacts After Canadian Teen Sensation Shatters Her World Record

ADELAIDE: Ariarne Titmus has acknowledged that it “stings” to lose her world record for the 400-metre freestyle, yet the renowned Australian swimmer believes her growing rivalry with Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh is “fantastic for the sport of swimming”.

Less than 24 hours after McIntosh obliterated the four-time Olympic champion’s world record by a staggering 1.20 seconds during the Canadian world championship trials, Titmus was on air for Channel Nine, providing commentary on the Australian trials.

As expected, she was asked about her world record being taken from her.

“Of course, it hurts a bit when your world record is broken, but I appreciate how challenging it is to achieve such fast times,” Titmus shared with Channel Nine’s James Bracey.

“I spent years working towards breaking my own world records, and for her to be just 18 years old and swimming at that extraordinary level right after the Olympic Games is simply phenomenal.”

Catch the 2025 Australian swimming trials live and free on Nine and 9Now, occurring from June 9-14.

“To obliterate a world record in that manner, who knows how much faster she can get in the future?”

“This is definitely a positive development for swimming.”

McIntosh charged through her 400m race in an impressive time of 3 minutes, 54.18 seconds (3:54.18), significantly eclipsing the previous record of 3:55.38 held by Titmus, which she set during her gold medal-winning performance at the 2023 world championships in Japan.

Just a day after this remarkable 400m swim, McIntosh recorded a time of 8:05.07 in the 800m, coming within a second of breaking Katie Ledecky’s legendary world record.

At last year’s Paris Olympics, McIntosh had to settle for silver in the 400m final, with Titmus taking home consecutive Olympic gold medals in her favourite event.

Currently on a year-long hiatus from competitive swimming, the Launceston-born champion intends to return to her world-beating form at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The showdown between Titmus and McIntosh in the 400m at SoFi Stadium is shaping up to be an epic rivalry.

“We want to keep seeing more women performing at a high level and nurturing rivalries,” Titmus remarked.

“I was the first to beat Katie Ledecky, but Summer is raising the bar for us, which is excellent for our sport.

“It definitely gets the adrenaline pumping,” she added with a chuckle.

During the finals on Monday night in Adelaide, Sam Short and Lani Pallister emerged victorious in the men’s and women’s 400m freestyle events, respectively.

Short clinched victory with a time of 3:41.01, with silver medallist Elijah Winnington finishing in 3:43.99. Both will be selected for the Dolphins’ world championship team in the 400m event later this week.

Meanwhile, Pallister made history as the second Australian woman to break the four-minute barrier in the 400m, finishing first with a time of 3:59.72, thus joining Titmus in this elite club. Jamie Perkins secured second place with a time of 4:04.03, earning her own spot on the world championship team.