Abbie King named Ariarne Titmus Swimming Scholarship recipient
Published on 17 November 2023
Launceston's Abbie King has been named as the inaugural recipient of the City of Launceston's Ariarne Titmus Swimming Scholarship.
The Ariarne Titmus Swimming Scholarship aims to reward the hard work and skill of one of Launceston's finest junior swimmers each year, providing them with assistance to achieve future success.
The Council implemented the scholarship last year following Titmus's haul of four medals — including two gold — at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The competition pool at the City of Launceston Leisure & Aquatic Centre was also rebadged as the Ariarne Titmus 50m Competition Pool.
The Council has worked with Swimming Tasmania to shortlist and assess candidates for the scholarship, which will cover one year of standard swim club registration fees and one full year of membership at the Launceston Leisure & Aquatic Centre.
Each year, the successful recipient will have their name included on a permanent shield displayed at the Launceston Leisure & Aquatic Centre.
City of Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said the inaugural recipient, 15-year-old South Esk Swimming Club member Abbie King, is recognised as one of Launceston's most promising young swimmers.
"Abbie is a great recipient of the Ariarne Titmus Swimming Scholarship, who has competed in events across Tasmania, as well as on the Gold Coast, Sydney and New Zealand," Mayor Garwood said.
"She is a born and bred Launceston resident, and dreams of progressing her swimming goals while continuing to live in Launceston."
Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus congratulated King on being the scholarship's first recipient.
"I'm humbled and proud to see a scholarship in my name being presented to a young swimmer with a lot of potential in my former home town," Titmus said.
"I've had the pleasure of congratulating Abbie privately on her success, she reminded me a lot of my younger self. I hope this scholarship helps boost her love of competitive swimming and drives her to train hard and strive for further success in the future."
Swimming Tasmania Chief Executive Jamie McIntyre said he was thrilled to see King named as the inaugural recipient.
"Abbie has made significant contributions to the sport of swimming, serving as an inspiration to those around her," Mr McIntyre said.
"Her outstanding achievements in the past year include reaching the finals at the Australian National Age Championships and securing numerous Tasmanian medals in our Tasmanian Championships.
"As well as shattering several longstanding records throughout the past season, Abbie also won a silver medal at the Australian School Games Championships.
"Her success extended beyond Australian waters, as she clinched medals at the New Zealand Short Course Championships in Napier this year, further solidifying her prowess and setting more Tasmanian records.
"Abbie's remarkable progress over the past 12 months is commendable, and we eagerly anticipate witnessing her future accomplishments in the coming year."