Ariarne Titmus has represented Australia on the world stage with four Olympic gold medals, seven Commonwealth Games golds and six world records — two of which she still holds, but she’s about to embark on the exciting adventure that is motherhood.
After smashing world records at the 2024 Olympic Games, the swimmer was set up on a blind date with Melbourne-based investment analyst, Mac Powell who didn’t even know who she was!
The couple are now expecting their first child, an announcement that came mere months after their engagement announcement.
But Mac has been a pillar of support for Ariarne and the Olympian revealed to New Idea just how encouraging he can be after she appeared on reality show Shark where celebrities were challenged to swim alongside sharks.
“When I was presented with the opportunity, I was a flat no … and then it was my partner, Mack, who said to me, ‘I know you, and when you watch this on TV, and you’re not there, you’re going to wish you did it,’” she told us in May 2026, adding that “he was right”.
Ariarne Titmus and Mac Powell’s love story
Ariarne and Mac first crossed paths on a blind date and went public with their romance at the 2025 Australian Open.
Less than a year later, Ariarne, who had recently retired from swimming, made the move from Queensland to Melbourne to be with her man.
“It was hard to leave Queensland. But I do have family in Melbourne and a lot of friends here who have moved from Tasmania,” she told The Daily Telegraph at the time.
After a whirlwind romance, Mac popped the question in Greece on Ariarne’s 26th birthday.
Ariarne’s father Steve Titmus said that his future son-in-law “did the right thing” and travelled to Brisbane to formally ask him for his permission.
“I had to keep the secret. He is such a wonderful guy, terrific bloke. Both families will be delighted with the news. Just terrific,” Steve said on 7NEWS.
Baby on the way
In November 2026, Ariarne and Mac shared the news that they were expecting their first child.
“Our little love,” the couple wrote in a joint Instagram post featuring photos of the ultrasound and Ariarne’s burgeoning bump.
“We are beyond grateful to be blessed with the greatest gift of all. We love you so much, little one.”
“We know it’s not always the easiest journey to parenthood and it is something we are conscious of. All of our love to those who are in the thick of fertility struggles, our hearts go out to you x”
The former Olympian admitted in her book Relentless that she underwent surgery to remove a growth on her ovary just before the Paris 2024 games. In 2025, Ariarne was told that only one of her ovaries was still producing follicles and that her egg count was low.
Doctors encouraged her to freeze her eggs and not wait to try for a baby, ultimately leading her to retire from competitive swimming in her mid-twenties.
“With everything that I’ve been told by doctors, I really hope that [falling pregnant] is not too challenging, but if it is, if there’s a will, there’s a way,” she wrote.
“I guess I just wanted to give myself that space to live a bit of life before I have to move into that next chapter, which when it does come, I’m very excited for.”
