Aussie Olympic cycling gold medallist Grace Brown has a dream farewell after a heartbreaking realisation made her retire
- Claimed the first gold medal at the Paris Games
- Ended career with an important result in France
- Explained why she is leaving the sport as a top athlete
Grace Brown has fittingly ended her cycling career with another victory, capping off a dream swan song season.
The Australian competed in the Chrono des Nations time trial for the first time, beating FDJ-Suez teammate Vittoria Guazzini by 51 seconds at the 27.2 kilometer event in France.
“It’s done… it’s time for the rest of life,” Brown said in an Instagram video post from her team.
The 32-year-old returns to Melbourne in the coming days, with a bulging trophy cabinet to enjoy.
The time trial specialist won Australia’s first gold medal at the Olympics, completing the event in rain-soaked conditions on day one of the Games.
It was Brown’s first Olympic medal.
Grace Brown and her husband Elliot Smith celebrate her Olympic gold medal win in France
The Aussie claimed her first Olympic gold medal in her final year of competitive racing
Brown has stopped cycling because she misses her life back home in Australia
Brown had started the year in January by winning her third straight Australian Time Trial Championship – the fourth time overall she had claimed the title – despite a back injury.
In April she achieved the biggest road race victory of her career, claiming the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic.
Two months later, as Paris loomed, Brown stunned the sport by announcing that this season would be her last.
Brown explained in an emotional video post that she missed her Australian life.
There were many questions after her gold medal in Paris about whether Brown would reverse that decision, and those questions only grew after the Australian shone at the road world championships last month.
Brown won her first world time trial title and was then part of the Australian team that also claimed the mixed team relay for the first time.
In May, Brown also won the Brittany Tour in France for the second year in a row.
Brown ends her professional cycling career with 26 victories – and this season’s highlights.