Aussie swimming champion Ariarne Titmus breaks silence on major health scare

Aussie golden girl Ariarne Titmus has spoken about her health scare that occurred after winning two gold medals at the world swimming championships, revealing it was the best thing that could have happened to her.

The women’s 400 metres freestyle world record holder, 23, discovered the tumours by chance when having an MRI scan on a sore hip last year.

Titmus underwent surgery to remove the benign tumours from her ovary in August, and says it has changed her mindset.

‘My health scare … I’m completely through that,’ said Titmus on Sunday.

Titmus, 23, had surgery last August to remove benign tumours from an ovary

‘That was probably the best thing that could have happened to me, to be honest … I’m only young once and I want to really make the most of this moment in my life.

‘The chance that I have to race at the Olympic Games, not just being an Olympian but fighting for medals and gold medals, is very rare, so I just want to take every opportunity I can and enjoy the moment.

‘I think when I was younger I was always just looking to the next thing, to the next thing, to the next thing, but as I’m getting older I’m trying to sink into the moment and enjoy them more.’

Titmus says she is more relaxed now than she used to be when competing on the big stage.

‘When I was younger I was always just looking to the next thing, to the next thing, to the next thing,’ Titmus said.

‘But as I am getting older I am really going to try to sink in to the moment and really enjoy them more.

‘Olympic trials is like nothing else and a lot of people get nervous for it of course – you have got your one chance to get on the team.

Titmus is gearing up to swim her first races at the selection trials for the Paris Games

‘But I am excited to get out there and race and have some fun and really think about why I started swimming – it’s because I just love the water and I just love swimming.

‘You have to remind yourself of that when you’re racing.’

Titmus will start her first final of the trials for the 400m freestyle on Monday night.