Two years after retiring from competition, the triple Olympic champion passed on some tips at Launceston Aquatic Centre and spoke at a gathering for local registered swimmers held at Launceston Church Grammar School.

She gave an engaging presentation about her life and experiences as an elite athlete after which the young audience was invited to ask questions.

In addition to the usual queries about diet and training came one question asking how old she was when she went to her first Olympics. The answer was 15.

The question was asked by Ariarne Titmus, then aged 13 but already making substantial waves in the Tasmanian swimming scene with St Patrick's College and Launceston Aquatic Club.

Despite making her first national team just two years later, Titmus had to wait until the age of 20 for her maiden Olympic Games but, when she did, it was appropriate that Jones was on the television commentary team recording the moment.

Approaching Tokyo, Titmus was ominously gathering momentum like a typhoon blowing in from the East China Sea. The devastation she then wreaked surprised few of those who had followed a career which took in world titles, a world record and the accolade best female swimmer on the planet by a global swimming magazine.

Just the third Australian to claim the 200 and 400m freestyle double at an Olympics, Titmus was then part of a 4x200m relay team which improved its own world record, but had to settle for bronze as the Chinese and Americans went even faster.

She then completed the set with a silver behind the greatest female swimmer of all time as American Katie Ledecky added the 800m to her 1500m gold to become a seven-time Olympic champion.

Coming just three years after three golds and a silver at her maiden Commonwealth Games, Titmus' earth-shattering performances immediately sparked debate as to where it places her in the pantheon of Tasmanian sport.

Every previous Tasmanian Olympic gold medallist - from cyclist Michael Grenda (or "Grenada" as Channel Seven called him) in 1984 to rower Scott Brennan in 2008 - had been part of team performances.

Also enjoying team success, national captains Ricky Ponting and Eddie Ockenden are prominent in the debate, and interesting to note that the latter's fourth Olympic campaign has seen his record-breaking number of international appearances overtake the 375 ODI total of the former (although there were also 168 Test matches to factor in).

Daniel Geale's boxing world titles and Richie Porte's Tour de France podium give both strong claims to feature on any Tasmanian sporting Mount Rushmore.

But even at the age of just 20, Titmus, who began swimming with Riverside and Launceston Aquatic clubs before relocating to Brisbane to chase her dream, appears to have them all covered.

And she probably has another two Olympic campaigns within her. In addition to Paris in just three years' time, Titmus will still only be 27 when Los Angeles 2028 rolls around. That's the same age as Emma McKeon is now and she just about held her own in Tokyo.

Jones won two silver medals at her first Games and attended three more, adding another three silvers, three golds and one bronze before retiring aged 26.

The 13-year-old who inquired about her Olympic credentials may even end up surpassing them.

And in winning the 400m in Tokyo, Titmus also created a remarkable piece of Launceston sporting history.

It meant consecutive Australian individual gold medals at Olympic/Paralympic level had been won by Launceston-born athletes following Simon Patmore's victory in the men's snowboard cross at the 2018 Paralympic Games in PyeongChang.

With thanks to Simon's father, former Northern Bomber Peter Patmore, for this golden snippet of trivia.