Canadians Brault, Sweetland and Yorke retire from triathlon circuit

VICTORIA — Canadian Olympians Sarah-Anne Brault, Kirsten Sweetland and Andrew Yorke are retiring from racing on the International Triathlon Union circuit.

All three athletes represent Canada at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Sweetland, a 28-year-old from Victoria, battled through a series of career-threatening injuries, including Lyme Disease, just months after becoming the third Canadian to ever win a triathlon medal at the Commonwealth Games when she captured the silver in 2014.

She is the second Canadian ever to win a medal on the World Triathlon Series when she claimed a bronze in Hamburg, Germany in 2014.

“I was determined to get to the Olympics, but my silver medal at the Commonwealth Games is something I will cherish forever,” said Sweetland.  “All of my achievements that came after the years of injuries and hard periods were much more fulfilling than my successes early in my career. I am so proud I was able to stick through the tough times, and climb back to the top.

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The 27-year-old Brault, from Victoria, racked up five, top-15 finishes in her career on the World Triathlon Series. The highlight was a fourth-place finish in Auckland, New Zealand. She also had two podium performances on the World Cup circuit.

“Retiring was a very hard decision and one that took a few months to make. In the end, I am not prepared to commit 100 per cent to another Olympic cycle so I knew it was time,” said Brault.

Yorke, 28, finished fourth at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He ended his career with a memorable Olympic race where he battled through serious injuries following a crash on the bike  to cross the finish line.

“I had a lot of great accomplishments, but the best moments were the ones nobody sees – talking smack with the guys before a swim, or the long runs out in the woods. That is what I truly loved,” said Yorke, whose career-best World Triathlon Series finish came in 2015 when he was eighth in Edmonton.

The Canadian Press