Great Britain’s paratriathlon national champion Steve Crowley has announced his decision to retire from paratriathlon to focus on protecting his long-term health after a cardiac operation.
Crowley began his paratriathlon journey through rehabilitation after serving in the Army saw him undergo a below-the-knee amputation due to an improvised explosive device in 2010.
After much time in the pool and gym, clocking hours on the bike and running, Crowley began competing in marathons and other long distance running events before setting his sights on the iconic IRONMAN 70.3 UK Exmoor. Considered to be one of the toughest 70.3 races to compete in, this was a catalyst in Crowley’s multisport career and soon he began winning medals across the sprint distance.
His first spot on the podium came at the Kalkar European Championships in 2016, where Crowley surged to claim the silver medal and in the same year burst onto the international stage with a 5th place finish at the Aviles ITU Duathlon World Championships. Crowley then became a member of the UK Sport Lottery Funded World Class Programme in 2017.
Following this, Crowley went from strength-to-strength, achieving silver at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Rotterdam and taking home gold at both the Altafulla ITU Paratriathlon World Cup and the Edmonton ITU World Paratriathlon Series.
From there, he took the top spot at the Eton Dorney ITU Paratriathlon World Cup in 2018 and in his final year of competitive racing, Crowley was crowned paratriathlon national champion.
Crowley announces his retirement in aid of focusing on his own long-term health, releasing a statement saying: “Under the direction of the medical and support staff the decision has been made for me and to protect my long-term health. It’ll still be a few months before a know if the cardiac operation has been successful.”
He went on to say: “For now my time as a custodian of the G.B. Tri suit is over, but I look forwards to handing it to a young and exciting group of British PTS4 athletes. To all of my competitors around the world it was an honour racing with you, and I wish you all the best of luck and health.
“It’s now time to move on, focus on getting healthy and enjoying my sporting retirement, on to the next chapter. Once again, a huge thank you to, Brit Tri, and all of my friends, sponsors and supports around the world.”
Paratriathlon Head Coach, Jonathon Riall, said: “Steve has been a vital team member since he joined the World Class Programme in 2017, and a critical ambassador for the sport in the UK having been racing since 2014. He’s had a fantastic career in the sport, winning races at World Cup and World series level and capping it off with an excellent performance in 2019 to become British champion.
“Steve has always shown immense passion and determination to not only win medals at the highest levels but has also become a great role model to those who are coming up in the sport of paratriathlon.
“I’d like to congratulate Steve on what’s been an incredible career and thank him for everything that he’s given to the sport. I wish him all the best with his health, happiness and in his future endeavours.”
Crowley’s full statement can be found here.
