Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus faced criticism after attributing her inability to break her world record to the conditions in Paris’ Olympic Village.
Despite not breaking her own record, Titmus still performed admirably in the 400m freestyle race on Saturday, July 27, securing a gold medal with a time of 3:57.49.
This victory marked her as the first female to win three Olympic medals in the event. However, her time was shy of the 3:55.38 world record she set at the 2023 world championships.
Titmus admitted that the pressure she felt for this race was ‘more than anything in [her] life.’
“I’m definitely good at handling the pressure, but I’ve definitely felt it,” she said. “The Olympics is different. It’s not like anything else. It’s not about how fast you go, it’s about getting your hand on the wall first. So I’m really happy to have done that tonight.”
While pleased with her gold medal, Titmus suggested that the conditions at the Olympic Village hindered her ability to push further.
In an interview on Sunday, July 28, she said, “It probably wasn’t the time I thought I was capable of, but living in the Olympic Village makes it hard to perform.”
The Olympic Village, a temporary home for athletes during the games, includes accommodations, shops, lounges, and dining halls.
This year, a focus on sustainability led to the use of water-cooling systems instead of air conditioning, refillable cups, and even cardboard bed frames.
Titmus remarked that these conditions were not conducive to peak performance, stating, “It’s definitely not made for high performance, so it’s about who can really keep it together in the mind.”
In response, Paris 2024 organizers told UNILAD: “On the conditions pointed out by some athletes, Paris 2024 is in constant liaison with the National Olympic Committees and stands ready to help with any further changes needed to catering or transportation services.”
The statement continued, “It is our priority to meet the performance needs of athletes from around the world. That’s why we have worked with our suppliers to adapt our food service to the athletes’ needs. these changes have significantly improved the quality of the service. For example, the quantity of grilled meats on offer is now 900 grams per athlete, per day.
“On transportation, significant progress has also been made, with 100 percent of services provided and a punctuality rate of over 90 percent. In addition, all the competition sessions were able to start on time. Today, the transport of accredited persons for Paris 2024 represents more than 1,300 buses, the equivalent of the city of Lyon bus network.
“Finally, on the beds, a key benefit of Airweave mattresses is that they are customisable to an individual’s morphology and so can meet specific comfort and preparation needs. The quality of Airweave mattresses is recognised and approved by National Olympic and Paralympic Committees and already proved its comfort to athletes during the Tokyo Games.”
Titmus isn’t alone in her critique. American tennis player Coco Gauff mentioned that some of her teammates have opted for different accommodations while in Paris.
However, Australian Swimming head coach Rohan Taylor countered Titmus’ claims, asserting that athletes should not let conditions distract them.
“The Olympics has always been a challenge,” he said. “Every Olympics I’ve been a part of, every Olympic Games that you see, is a test of athletes’ ability to come here, compete and perform when it matters.
“It’s about how you manage yourself and whatever environments are presented, whatever the beds are, whatever the food is, everybody deals with it.”
Taylor also noted that the Australian Olympic Committee has made efforts to improve comfort by providing extra food, air conditioning, and private transport for its athletes.