The Australian, who secured two golds and two silvers at the Paris Olympics, plans to be away from the sport for up to a year to recharge. "I'm definitely having a very extended break. I haven't planned when I'm going back to swimming. I want to go back when I feel ready to go back. Could be up to 12 months," Titmus shared with reporters.

Titmus, who won gold in the 400m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay, along with silver in the 200m and 800m freestyle, will turn 24 next month. She is focused on being fully prepared for the 2028 Olympics. "I just want to make sure I'm ready to go in LA. I don't want to come back too early and, you know, lose that fire, I guess," she explained.

The 23-year-old emphasised that her main goal is to be ready for the LA Games rather than the world championships leading up to it. "So I just want to really have time to let the hunger build back up and enjoy myself for a little while," she said.

Titmus' rival, American Katie Ledecky, has expressed her intention to compete in a fifth Olympics, which could lead to more thrilling races between the two. "It's always exciting racing the best in the world and I think we get the best out of each other," Titmus noted. 

"You know, it's more satisfying racing a champion like her and being successful than not. So I think it'd be crazy for her not to try and keep going for her home games. And yes, it's another challenge, it is always a challenge racing her so I look forward to it," she added.

Titmus also praised the current state of women’s swimming, citing the rise of stars like Canadian Summer McIntosh, who won two golds in Paris. "I think that at the moment, it's probably since I can remember, the best it's ever been in terms of how fast we're swimming, the depth we have across the world, the depth in Australia," she said. 

"So I feel very privileged and have a sense of pride to contribute to that at the moment. I think people are going to look back on this era of swimming and say that it was one of the best."