Double Olympic triathlon gold medallist Alistair Brownlee retires at 36
- ‘It just feels really right and I’m really happy with it’
- Brownlees helped make Britain dominant in sport
The double Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee has announced his retirement. The 36-year-old Briton became the first triathlete to successfully defend his Olympic title when he retained the title in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, four years after triumphing on home soil at London in 2012.
“It’s time to close this chapter … This marks my transition from professional triathlon, a moment approached with both dread and excitement in equal measure,” Brownlee, whose first significant title came in winning the 2006 Junior European Duathlon, wrote on social media. “Triathlon has profoundly shaped my life; I have dedicated nearly half of it to being a professional athlete, fulfilling my childhood dream and achieving far more than I ever dared to imagine. Why now? It feels right. I am happy and content, eager for what lies ahead. I find myself smiling because it happened, rather than crying because it’s over (to paraphrase Dr Seuss).”
