Alistair Brownlee announces "transition" from triathlon, retiring with two Olympic gold medals and an eye on "exciting challenges"

Two-time Olympic triathlon gold medallist Alistair Brownlee has retired from competing in the sport.

The Great Britain star won the men's title at his home Games of London 2012, and defended the crown at Rio 2016, becoming the only athlete to win two individual golds.

He posted on social media on Thursday (21 November) that it was "time to close this chapter" and that the 36-year-old would "transition from professional triathlon".

During a glittering career, Brownlee won 22 World Series golds (the most by any athlete), four European Championships, and two Commonwealth Games golds, as well as two world titles in 2009 and 2011.

While his final Olympic appearance was his gold-winning race eight years ago in Rio, he continued to compete in long-distance triathlon events, including the T100 series and Ironman competitions. He finished second in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in 2018 and 2019.

“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,” Brownlee is reported as saying on the Team GB website. “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.

“I'm definitely aware of 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.”

Brownlee was appointed to the IOC Athletes’ Commission in 2022, a role he will continue to undertake after his retirement from sporting competition.

Alistair Brownlee: A titan among triathletes with an unrivalled legacy in his sport

While Brownlee’s history-making exploits as an athlete have made him a legend in his sport, his influence on the current crop of British triathletes is still being felt.

Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist and reigning world champion Alex Yee credits training alongside Alistair Brownlee and his three-time Olympic medallist brother Jonny with giving him the self-belief he needed to succeed in triathlon.

“I think that for me being able to train that environment and them to bring me in and allow me to do that was really something that made me believe that this would be possible,” Yee told Olympics.com in 2022.

Georgia Taylor-Brown, part of the gold-winning GB triathlon mixed relay team alongside Yee at Tokyo 2020 in 2021 posted her own tribute to the older Brownlee brother on Instagram.

“When I started you were at the front, making races hard and aggressive from the gun,” she wrote. “And that’s what I wanted to be able to do, so thank you for inspiring me from a young age.”

For the retiring double Olympic champion, whose Brownlee Foundation is credited with helping introduce over 5,000 children to the sport of triathlon, supporting the next generation of triathletes continues to be a major priority.

“It’s a massive honour that other athletes look up to you,” he said. “I'm very proud that whatever impact I've had on the sport of triathlon in terms of motivating and inspiring other people to be involved, that's really special.

“I've tried to do what I can, helping other athletes out and coaching and giving advice to people just because of my love and passion for it.”