1. Nine
  2. Sport
  3. Cycling

Virus forces NZ cycling great to retire

Apr 24th, 2020Apr 24th, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the career of an elite New Zealand Olympian, with decorated track cyclist Eddie Dawkins not prepared to hang on for another year to compete in Tokyo.

Three-time world champion Dawkins, who was the bane of numerous Australian sprint specialists across a decade of international racing, announced his retirement on Friday.

The 30-year-old, New Zealand's most successful world championship rider, had planned a likely swansong at this year's Olympics in Japan.

However, after digesting the Games' postponement, Dawkins decided he couldn't commit through to July next year with his long-time team sprint colleagues Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster.

"To now face a further year on top of that and with no certainty even then is a step too far for me," he said.

"If I can't give my heart and soul to this, to continue to improve and get faster, then anything less would be letting myself down and, above all else, letting my teammates down."

Dawkins was a larger-than-life character off the track and became renowned for his immense finishing power, boosted by his bulky frame.

He won a total of seven world championship medals, primarily in the team sprint, but he was a force in the keirin, time trial and individual sprint.

Dawkins claimed silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics alongside Mitchell and Webster, while also collecting seven Commonwealth Games medals, two of them gold.


More Cycling news