Double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee announces retirement

Triathlon great Alistair Brownlee announced his retirement from professional racing on Thursday. The 36-year-old had one of the most successful triathlon careers of all time, with a resume that boasts multiple world titles, a pair of Olympic gold medals, and countless other wins and accolades.

Among the best

Brownlee found success very early on in his career. In 2006, he won the junior world championship, following that up with a silver at the worlds in 2007. In 2008, he graduated to U23 racing, and he added a second gold medal to his trophy case, winning the world title yet again. That same year, he competed in Beijing at his first Olympic Games, placing 12th.

It was in 2009 when Brownlee truly made a name for himself. He won all five ITU World Championship Series races that he entered, including the Grand Final in Gold Coast, Australia. He was crowned world champion, becoming the first triathlete to win the junior, U23, and senior world titles. He won another world crown in 2011, and heading into the 2012 London Olympics, he was a heavy favourite to take the gold.

Racing alongside his younger brother Jonny Brownlee at the London Games, Alistair put together a masterclass of a race, beating Javier Gomez—all-time great—to the line. Gomez won silver that day and Jonny held on for bronze. In 2014, Brownlee won a couple more gold medals, this time at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, where he took the win in the individual triathlon and helped lift Team England to the mixed relay victory.

Two years later, he repeated as Olympic champion in Rio, then made the jump to middle-distance racing. In 2018, he placed second at the 70.3 worlds after a tight battle with fellow Olympic gold medallist Jan Frodeno. A year later, he repeated as the 70.3 worlds silver medallist, falling short just behind Gustav Iden.

Brownlee eventually made the jump to full Ironman racing, crushing his debut at the distance in 7:49:20 at Ironman Ireland. He went to Kona later that year, but he wasn’t able to find his usual magic, succumbing to the Big Island’s harsh elements. He did finish that race, crossing the line in 21st. He ran two more full-distance races, winning both (including a remarkable 7:38:47 result at Ironman Sweden in 2022).

A new chapter

Brownlee took to Instagram to announce his retirement. “This marks my transition from professional triathlon, a moment approached with both dread and excitement in equal measure,” he wrote. “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.”

He went on to say that he has decided to bring his career to a close now because “[i]t feels right,” adding that he is looking forward to “a slightly slower pace of life.”

Brownlee’s last race came on Sunday at the T100 series finale in Dubai, where he had a great showing, running onto the podium in third place.