Australian Olympic star Ariarne Titmus talks about the shocking incident that almost cost her her life immediately after her birth

• Titmus wants to emulate Dawn Fraser at the Olympic Games in Paris
• She could be the first Australian since the great Dawn to defend her title
• Her success was due to a harrowing beginning, as her family revealed

Australian Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus has revealed that she fought for every breath from birth when she was born with the umbilical cord around her neck.

Ariarne grew up in a beautiful four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the Brisbane suburb of Chelmer after her family moved there from Launceston, Tasmania, where she was born.

Her father Steve is well known in Queensland as a presenter on Channel Seven Gold Coast News, while her mother Robyn works as a recruitment consultant.

However, their idyllic lifestyle almost took a tragic turn when Ariarne was born.

Her family said their joy quickly turned to fear when she turned blue at birth and was motionless because of the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck.

Ariarne immediately needed an oxygen mask as she struggled to breathe. A video recorded by her father shows a doctor administering medication to her.

Steve believes that surviving this life-threatening experience gave the Olympic gold medalist an invisible armor.

“We really believe that first hour shaped her outlook on life,” he told News Corp.

“That was the beginning of her character as a fighter for life. It’s almost as if she would never give up from that point on.”

Ariarne agrees.

“I really believe in these things,” she said.

“I think there’s something inside me that drove me that day. I couldn’t have done it, but I think I’ve carried that with me my whole life. I feel like I have that competitive spirit in racing and in life. I’m really grateful to be here.”

As the amazing Tasmanian-born swimmer prepares for her Olympic campaign in Paris, Steve often thinks back to those first fateful minutes.

Ariarne’s fight for survival is a testament to the courage and determination with which she has overcome many challenges, including recent health problems.

After winning two gold medals at the World Swimming Championships, Ariarne had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of her painful hip last year and was diagnosed with benign tumors on her ovary.

In August, she had surgery to remove the tumors and says it changed her outlook.

“Honestly, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,” she said.

“I am only young once and I really want to make the most of this moment in my life.”

The 23-year-old Olympic hopeful is determined to seize every opportunity and enjoy every moment.

“The chance for me to compete in the Olympics and not just be an Olympian but fight for medals and gold medals is very rare,” she said.

“I just want to take every opportunity and enjoy the moment. When I was younger, I was always looking for the next thing, but the older I get, the more I try to immerse myself in the moment and enjoy it more.”

In Paris, Titmus will attempt to become the first Australian to defend her Olympic title since the great Dawn Fraser did so more than half a century ago.

Her journey to the Tokyo Olympics was full of pressure and pushed her to her limits both physically and mentally.

In 2021, she won gold in the 200 m and 400 m freestyle, silver in the 800 m and a bronze medal in the 4×200 m relay.

After completing her busy racing schedule, she was too exhausted to feel elated.

“My last Olympic Games flew by for me,” Titmus told the podcast “En Route to Paris.”

“It was probably the most exhausting and stressful week of my life. Honestly, I was probably most proud of my performance in the 800m (where she finished second behind her bitter rival Katie Ledecky).

“When the race was over, it was like I was in a pressure cooker, then it was time to open the valve.”

She said of the end of her Olympic journey: “I collapsed. My mind and body were completely relaxed for the first time in nine days. I just collapsed. It was the most unreal feeling; it was over and done with.”