Aussie Olympic champion Grace Brown calls it quits despite historic double

Aussie Olympic cycling champion Grace Brown created history over the weekend — before confirming she’d be finishing on top.

Aussie cycling champion Grace Brown has confirmed she’s going to go out on top.

The Olympic women’s time trial champion became the first women in history to complete the double in the same year, adding the UCI world championship title to her Paris gold.

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Brown also became the first Australian woman to win the world time trial gold, having already become the first Aussie woman to win Olympic cycling gold in the individual time trial where she won by 91 seconds.

However, despite a spectacular year in 2024, the 32-year-old Brown confirmed she’d be walking away from the sport at the end of the year.

“I’m still finishing up at the end of this season — I just feel really, really lucky to have the end of my career like this. It’s special,” Brown said, declining the chance to wear both the rainbow world champion jersey and the Olympic gold helmet.

Grace Brown, world champion. Photo by Alex Whitehead – Pool/Getty Images

Grace Brown, Olympic champion. Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP

Brown, who also won the national time-trial championships and the Liege-Bastogne-Liege this year, said the last few months had been surreal.

“Honestly it feels like I’m in a dream these last couple of months,” Brown said post-race.

“These big goals that seem ambitious but I’ve been able to get out on the road and realise those dreams so it’s been cool.

“The experience of the Olympics and having that success on my shoulders already gave me a lot of confidence. As I was riding in the last kilometres I just kept telling myself ‘I can be world champion’ and that gave me the strength to push all the way to the end.”

It was a brilliant ride from Brown, who led by six seconds at the first check in but fell nine seconds behind at the final time check to eventual silver medallist Dutch rider Demi Vollering.

Vollering, who also finished second in the Tour de France by just four seconds but was fifth at the Olympics, shot up the final climb and flew down at breakneck speed to set up a lead.

But Brown wasn’t afraid of coming from behind, eventually winning the title by 16 seconds ahead of the Dutchwoman.

“I was pleased that I was ahead at the top of the climb,” Brown said.

“I expected that I might be behind there because Vollering is such a strong climber. She just attacked the middle section of the race a bit more than I did and it took me a few kilometres on the flat to get into the rhythm after the climbing.

“I felt like I gained time towards the end.

“It was a very different approach to the Olympics — I was very focused and went over my plan a thousand times and had every detail dialled.

“I was a bit more relaxed coming into this. I didn’t have the same time to prepare. I think that just having the confidence and knowing that I’ve executed many time trials well, I could still be confident in my preparation and know that I could do my best over this course as well.”

Grace Brown is going out on top. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

Defending champion and Olympic bronze medallist Chloe Dygert from the US claimed third, 56 seconds behind Brown.

Dygert is a two-time world time trial champion, having also won in 2019.

“They had a better day than me, it’s as simple as that,” Dygert said.

“We all did the same preparation on the same course so you can’t complain. It’s just how it goes.”

Afghanistan’s cycling sisters Yulduz and Fariba Hashimi put in a solid performance coming home around six minutes behind than the winner.

With AFP