The British top athlete Joe Skipper has announced his immediate retirement: the athlete who won Challenge Almere-Amsterdam in 2017, thereby also securing his first serious professional victory, has competed at the highest level for years since.
Skipper has been around for a long time; for instance, in 2013 he finished third at Ironman UK, a year later second in that same race and first at Challenge Weymouth, and another year later, in 2015, a second-place finish at Ironman Texas and another bronze at Ironman UK followed, among other achievements. He also finished third at the ITU Long Distance. After finishing second at events like Challenge Roth and Ironman New Zealand in 2016, his true breakthrough came in 2017 with his victory at the European Championship Long Distance at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam. In the years that followed, his victories included Ironman UK, Ironman Florida, Ironman New Zealand, Ironman Chattanooga, Ironman Wales, Ironman Arizona, and Ironman Lake Placid.
Yet it was not all celebrations for the successful Brit, who in 2023 suddenly lost his ability to speak and lost his memory. What followed was a long period of rehabilitation, before he also had to ease off the gas in 2024 after feeling ‘very disappointed and down’ following several disappointing performances. This year, he did manage to finish second once at Ironman South Africa, but Skipper never truly returned to his former level.
“After a lot of thought, I’ve decided that the time has come to retire from professional triathlon. It’s difficult to put into words what the last 15 years have meant to me. This sport has taken me further than I ever imagined possible. I’ve raced across the world, stood on the top step of Ironman podiums, shared finish lines with the very best athletes in the world, and experienced highs that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. The sport has also taught me resilience through the lows, injuries, setbacks and days when giving up would have been the easier option.”
You can find Skipper’s full response here:
