Image source, PA MediaImage caption, Marchant won a silver medal in the team sprint at the Commonwealth Games in July
ByFlora SnelsonBBC Sport journalist- Published16 minutes ago
Olympic gold medallist Katy Marchant has announced her retirement from cycling.
The 33-year-old helped the women's team sprint trio win Britain's first Olympic gold in that event at the 2024 Paris Games.
In the same year, she won World and European titles, to add to an individual sprint bronze medal on her Olympic debut in Rio in 2016.
Marchant said she considered continuing to the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 but her 13-year career came to an end with a silver at this summer's Commonwealth Games.
"I've achieved more than I could ever have dreamed of achieving," said Marchant.
"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.
"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."
Formerly a heptathlete, Marchant had only ever cycled for leisure when she joined British Cycling's Olympic academy programme aged 20 in 2013 after a coach noticed her remarkable performance on an exercise bike.
In 2024, Leeds-born Marchant became the first track cyclist to return to elite competition after becoming a mum. Two years after the birth of her first child, Marchant won Olympic, World and European titles before a crash which required surgeries to her arm and kept her out of racing for 12 months.
Marchant returned to the track again in January this year, six months after the birth of her second child, then won Commonwealth silver in the team sprint with Rhianna Parris-Smith and Sophie Capewell in July.
In the lead-up to the Games, Marchant spoke of her goal to compete at LA 2028, but has now told BBC Breakfast that she is instead looking forward to "a little bit of freedom".
"I really don't know what's next for me," she said. "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.
"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 as I said, I really, really don't know."
"I had a very good work-life balance, but I've been enjoying not having to focus on the X amount of protein you're eating every day. I'm feeling a little bit freer.
"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."
