Swimming superstar Ariarne Titmus opens up about what is driving her to achieve Olympic glory in Paris, in a special edition of Good Weekend published this Saturday, June 22. 

One of the races of Paris 2024 is expected to be the women’s 400 metres freestyle final – held on day one of the Games. In it, if all goes to plan, Australia’s Ariarne Titmus will face up against arguably the greatest swimmer of all time, America’s Katie Ledecky. Canadian teen sensation Summer McIntosh is expected to be there on the starting blocks, too. 

Dubbed ‘the race of the Century’, it will be one of the highlights of the Games for Australian audiences. With just 35 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the special edition of Good Weekend features Amanda Hooton profiling Titmus, who began her swimming life in the state with perhaps the least pools in the country, Tasmania, and was initially far from the best in her swim class – but is now one of the greatest swimmers this country has produced.

Elsewhere in this special edition, Konrad Marshall explores Australia’s sudden rise in middle-distance running talent, Chip Le Grand looks at why the Olympics in Paris are being called the “light-touch” Games – the first city in which the Games have been made to fit the city rather than the other way around. Luke Benedictus, Michael Gleeson and Tom Decent also take a deep dive into innovations in timekeeping, shoes and swimwear. 

As well, Jane Cadzow talks to Paralympian Vanessa Low and her coach/husband, former Paralympian gold medallist Scott Reardon, and Benjamin Law rolls the Dicey Topics die with pole vaulting medal chance Nina Kennedy.

“Getting inside the head of elite athletes is not always easy, but Amanda Hooton makes it look that way with her insightful profile of one of the most exciting athletes going to the Games,” says Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland. 

“As soon as I heard that Nine was the broadcast partner for Paris 2024, I knew we had to bring the best longform journalists in the country to the job of telling this story.”

Good Weekend is published as part of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age every Saturday, and online at smh.com.au, theage.com.au, brisbanetimes.com.au and watoday.com.au. 

Good Weekend special edition published Saturday, June 22. The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will run from July 26 to August 11 and will be broadcast on the 9Network and 9Now, and ad-free on Stan Sport.

For further information, please contact:
Adrian Motte
Senior Communications Manager – Trade & Publishing
amotte@nine.com.au

Friday, June 21, 2024