Katy Marchant has announced her retirement from cycling, two years after winning Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games. The 33-year-old Leeds-based athlete helped Team GB's women's trio claim the first British gold in the sprint event, adding to the bronze she won at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.
A career of 10 medals
Marchant also won gold at the World and European Championships, finishing her career with a total of 10 medals over 13 years. She will now step away from the track ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Explaining her decision, Marchant said: "I've achieved more than I could ever have dreamed of achieving. It feels really strange. It's not been a difficult decision. Don't get me wrong, there have been moments where I've thought, 'could I just, should I just, what if I just?' But I know what it takes to push on for another two years."
Return after giving birth
Two years ago, Marchant became the first track sprinter to return to elite competition after giving birth, and she repeated the feat this January after her second child arrived. A crash requiring surgery on her arm kept her out of racing for 12 months, but she returned to win Commonwealth silver alongside Rhianna Parris-Smith and Sophie Capewell in July.
Marchant had previously spoken of her desire to compete at LA 2028, but she is now looking forward to "freedom" from her sport. She told BBC Breakfast: "I'm actually enjoying the time at the minute to be able to reflect on my journey - something we don't do enough when we're in it."
Life after cycling
She added: "I'm a farmer's wife, so there could be a bit of that. I have a small cake business that could grow, there is potential. And I'm addicted to high performance and I absolutely love sports. So that might be my path going forward. But I really, really don't know. I had a good work-life balance, but I've been enjoying not having to focus on the amount of protein you're eating every day. I'm feeling a little bit freer."
Marchant concluded: "I've been able to do the school drop-offs, been able to do the swimming lessons, things like that, things that I haven't massively been able to do so much. I'm really enjoying just being me."
