British Olympic champion Katy Marchant has retired from cycling, ending a 13-year elite career after deciding that she no longer wants to make the sacrifices required to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The 33-year-old track cyclist, who won Olympic gold in the women’s team sprint at the 2024 Paris Games, said she was ready for greater freedom and more time with her family.
Marchant had initially considered continuing until the Los Angeles Games but said the demands of another Olympic cycle ultimately influenced her decision to retire.
“I’ve achieved more than I could ever have dreamed of achieving,” Marchant said.
She described the decision as unusual but not difficult, acknowledging that she had occasionally wondered whether she should continue.
“But I know what it takes to push on for another two years,” she said. “I’m incredibly proud of where I’ve got to and what I’ve done. I just don’t want to make those choices anymore to keep doing what it takes to get to LA.”
Marchant’s career included an Olympic sprint bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Games before she helped Britain secure its first Olympic gold in the women’s team sprint at Paris 2024.
She also won world and European titles in 2024, completing an exceptional year after returning to elite competition following the birth of her first child.
Her achievements made her the first track sprinter to return to elite competition after becoming a mother.
Marchant’s career was interrupted by a serious crash after her 2024 successes, which required surgery on her arm and kept her away from competition for 12 months.
She returned to the track in January 2026, just six months after giving birth to her second child, and later won Commonwealth Games silver in the team sprint alongside Rhianna Parris-Smith and Sophie Capewell in July.
Her decision to retire follows a career that began in athletics. A former British junior heptathlete, Marchant switched to cycling in 2013 after a coach noticed her impressive performance on a static bike.
Looking ahead, Marchant said she was enjoying having more time for her children and everyday family activities that were difficult to prioritise during her elite career.
She said she had been able to take her children to school and swimming lessons and was enjoying life without the strict nutritional and training demands associated with elite sport.
“I’m feeling a little bit freer,” she said.
Marchant, who is married to a farmer, said she may become more involved in farming and could also develop her small cake business.
She also remains interested in high-performance sport but admitted she was uncertain about what her next chapter would look like.
“I’m really enjoying just being me,” she said.
