Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus has been named the 2025 Young Australian of the Year for Tasmania.
The 24-year-old from Launceston has achieved more in her sporting career than most could ever dream of, with four Olympic gold medals, three silver medals and a bronze to her name.
Titmus first made a name for herself on the global stage in 2018, winning two gold medals and a silver medal in the freestyle events at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
She was named Swimming Australia’s Swimmer of the Year in 2019 and has since broken several world records.
“Something that I’m really passionate about is proving to people that it doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, whether you’re a girl or a boy, a woman or a man, what your religion is, where you come from, that you can really achieve anything you want to and two very vital ingredients are belief and hard work,” Titmus said on Wednesday.
“I think that I’ve gone to show that coming from a small town out of Tassie in probably the coldest part of the country doesn’t mean that you can’t become a champion swimmer on the world stage.”
Other finalists in the category inclusion advocate Ellsie Bird, cancer care advocate Ella Smalley and domestic violence survivor and change advocate Romany Wake.
“I’m actually really proud that in this category tonight it was four amazing women,” she said.
“I feel so proud that I’m a woman in this country at the moment that’s kind of leading the charge for women in sport.”
“We’ve got a long way to go but I think that that’s something I’m really passionate about.”
Titmus will join the other state and territory winners in the national awards ceremony on January 25.
