Ariarne Titmus makes emotional Australian return with swag of Olympic medals

Arriving home from the Paris Olympics with a “swag of medals” was sweet relief for swim superstar Ariane Titmus, who thanked US rival Katie Ledecky for driving her to greatness, knowing she’d also held off those looking to dethrone her.

Among the swathe of emotional arrivals at Sydney airport on Wednesday morning, few could compare to the shock Titmus got when a lifelong friend she hadn’t seen for two years surprised her on stage to amplify the overwhelming feeling of this successful Olympic journey being over.

Titmus was doing a TV interview with her parents when Abbey Badcock surprised her and shared a hug with the Olympic legend who burst into tears.

“This is a very, very, very big surprise,” Titmus told the NewsWire.

“Abbey lives down in Tassie so I don’t get to see her very often. I grew up with her but I did not expect this when I came home. This is so special.”

The pair have been friends for 13 years and attended St Patrick’s College together, with Abbey organising some annual leave to head up to Sydney at the invitation of Titmus’s jubilant parents.

And it turns out she could have been a more than handy swimmer based on her results against the queen of the pool back in the day, but Abbey was on hand to laud her great mate’s stunning achievements in Paris.

“We raced against each other in our primary school days, and I did beat ‘Arnie’ back in grade 5. I can’t remember what race it was, but I’ll claim it,” she said.

“I know all the effort, dedication and sacrifices that Arnie has put in to be here. It’s such an honour to be able to welcome her home and see all her medals.

“I feel like I’ve been at the Olympics. I was exhausted after that week with 4am get-ups. I would do anything for her to watch her swim.”

While that friendship will last a lifetime, Titmus has developed a relationship of a different kind with US legend Ledecky in the pool, with the duo continuing their incredible rivalry in Paris.

Titmus dethroned the American in the 400m freestyle in Tokyo and repeated the dose in Paris, with her great rival claiming bronze.

The American legend still won two golds in other events, and Titmus thanked Ledecky for pushing her to be the best in the world.

“There’s definitely an unreal rivalry in the pool and I think we get the best out of each other,” she said.

“I wouldn’t be the athlete I am without her, but beyond that, we have massive respect for each other.

“I, more than anyone, know what she has to do to be the best in the world, and I think she knows what I’ve done to get to the top.

“We always chat to each other before we go to races – even the 400 freestyle – and there’s no animosity at all. That’s pretty special.”

That 400m race was one of the highlights in the pool, with the Aussie star proving too classy yet again.

“It’s a lot tougher because it’s harder to go out there and defend your title,” she said.

“It’s one thing to get to the top, but it’s another thing trying to stay there because there are people that are always champing at the bit and there are up-and-comers trying to take your spot.

“I feel so relieved to get the job done and come home with a great swag of medals.”

Titmus went close to defending her 200m title but was edged out by Mollie O’Callaghan in the final, with women claiming 13 of the record 18 golds won by Australia in Paris.

It’s an achievement not lost on Titmus, who added more gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

“I’m really proud to be a part of this because I never thought I’d be in an era of Australian swimming and female sport where I’d be contributing to,” she said.

“I feel so proud to be doing my part, and I think this will be a time we look back on in 10, 20, 30 years and really appreciate how special it was.”