Australian swimming champion Ariarne Titmus has opened up on changing her mindset for the rest of her career after regretting the distractions that overshadowed her very first top-level world title.

In a wide-ranging Q&A with fans, the 24-year-old spoke of living a “polar opposite” life since stepping out of the pool following the Paris Olympics.

Titmus said she has been on over 40 flights in four months “laying the foundations” for her post-swimming career.

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But it has also been a time to stop and reflect ahead of her return to the pool at some stage next year.

Asked what advice she would give her younger self, Titmus attached a photo of the moments after she received the gold medal for winning the 400m freestyle final — ahead of American legend Katie Ledecky — at the 2019 world championships.

The then 18-year-old’s smile, she says now, masked her true feelings.

“This is me back in 2019 becoming 400 free world champion for the first time,” Titmus wrote.

“I remember being disappointed with the swim and was already thinking to what were meant to be the Olympic Games in 2020.

“At the time it seemed the right mindset to be in when you’re on the pursuit for Olympic gold.

“But in hindsight, I regret not enjoying the bigger moments more when I was younger.

“I was always looking to the next thing and not allowing myself the grace and time to be proud of myself.”

Titmus said that won’t be the case next time she joins the squad.

“As I continue to swim, my goals will be to be more present in the moment, enjoy the small special times with my teammates and not take anything for granted,” she added.

Titmus had already entered this year’s Olympics with a new perspective after a health scare.

She feared the prospect of infertility when scans discovered two benign tumours in her ovary, undergoing surgery just eight months before Paris 2024.

After winning two gold medals and two silvers the Tasmanian subsequently announced she would take a break from swimming for up to 12 months — and that remains her stance.

“I’ll slowly start swimming more in the new year,” Titmus said in her Q&A.

“But I’m putting no pressure on myself to rush being back.

“I head to Fiji after my last commitment of the year for my first solo holiday. It will also be my first holiday since Paris!

“I’m very much in need of some peace and quiet after what has been an incredibly rewarding but busy few months.”

Swimming’s next world championships begin on July 27, 2025 — exactly one year to the day since the first swimming event of the Paris Olympics.