A wide-eyed and ambitious schoolboy when it was announced that London would host the 2012 Olympic Games, a 24-year-old man when he took the tape and the first of his two Olympic titles, Britain’s Alistair Brownlee has today announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 36.
The only athlete on the planet to have been crowned Junior World Champion, U23 World Champion, European Champion, World Champion and Olympic Champion, his incredible collection of honours marks him out as the greatest the sport has ever seen.
His two world titles in 2009 and 2011 and battles with not just Javier Gomez Noya but his own brother, Jonathan, will be remembered as part of a golden era in triathlon. That he went on to win a home Olympic gold and defend that title in Rio four years later propelled him to hero status in the UK and beyond, and was the catalyst behind the much-loved Series race in his home city of Leeds from 2016-2022.
His legacy for the sport is indelible, and will continue through the Brownlee Foundation, an altogether different outlet for the brothers’ devotion to the sport that has seen over 50,000 children introduced to the magic of swim-bike-run.
Alistair was also appointed to the IOC Athletes’ Commission in 2022, where he will continue to represent the interests of the world’s sportsmen and women on the biggest stage of them all.
Speaking to PTO after his final race at the T100 Dubai, where he won the bronze, Alistair Brownlee said; “It’s a combination of…I have been doing it for a long time and there’s so many other things in sport I want to be able to do. I want to be able to do all kinds of endurance challenges. I want to stay fit and healthy and be part of sport, hopefully into my old age. And I’m definitely aware, you know, putting the miles on the clock and wearing things down. So I want to retire fit and healthy and not be forced to retire by injury and illness or whatever.”
Alistair won 22 World Series golds across his career, more than any other athlete, and added the Commonwealth Games title to his honours in Glasgow in 2014. Golds at WTS Leeds in 2016 and 2017 will no doubt also go down among his greatest memories.
“Alistair’s contribution to the world of triathlon over more than two decades is immeasurable,” said World Triathlon President Antonio F. Arimany, “and he is a true legend who will inspire generations to come. Because when you work so hard and with such determination to reach the pinnacle of sporting achievement, it inspires millions more to see if they can do the same. His presence on triathlon’s biggest start lines will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on for as long as the sport itself. He is a true icon of our sport and he will inspire generations to come of young triathletes from all around the world. On behalf of the World Triathlon family, I want to thank Alistair for the memories and entertainment and to wish him luck as he continues to represent our sport on the other side of the blue carpet and at the IOC as a member of the Athletes’ Commission.”
