Bahrain Victorious 13’s Ryf retires

Daniela Ryf has retired after a 20-year career that has seen her crowned Ironman World Champion five times, among numerous other accolades that have marked her as one of the best ever to compete in the sport of triathlon, writes Lisa Pringle.

While she had previously announced a racing schedule for 2024, the Swiss athlete sustained an injury to her coccyx which has kept her out of competition since Ironman South Africa in April, where she finished eighth. 

Daniela said, “My doctors have discovered the cause of the pain in my coccyx. The diagnosis is an inflammation at the end of the spinal cord (conus medullaris). Letting go of the goals I've set myself is hard and something I have never had to do before. This is why I have been struggling to make this decision, but my coach, my doctor and I have decided it’s the right thing to do for my long-term health.”

After a short-course stint that included representing Switzerland at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, Ryf burst onto the long-course scene in 2014 to win the Ironman 70.3 World Championship and then lead for most of that year’s Ironman World Championship race until she was overtaken for first in the closing stages of the marathon.

She was announced onto the inaugural Bahrain Victorious 13 team roster in 2015 and went on a tear to go undefeated that year and become the first woman to defend the Ironman 70.3 World Championship title. Sporting the Bahrain racing red, she also became the Ironman World Champion for the first time.

In the years since, she was crowned Ironman World Champion and Ironman 70.3 World Champion five times apiece and is the only athlete male or female ever to concurrently hold both crowns twice. In 2019 when she won her fifth Ironman 70.3 world title, His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa personally draped the finisher medal around her neck at the finish line in Nice, France.

She is also one of only five women to defend the Ironman World Championship, and her five titles are second only to Paula Newby-Fraser’s legendary seven. 

Ryf is the first (and only) athlete to complete the Nasser Bin Hamad Triple Crown, which awarded a historic USD $1 million prize to the winner of a three-race series that included the Ironman 70.3 World Championship and the Ironman World Championship.

Last year, she shattered Chrissie Wellington’s 12-year-old full distance record by almost 10 minutes with a time of 8:08:21 at Challenge Roth. It was also nearly 14 minutes faster than her own previous best.

Through it all, Ryf only ever sought to get the best out of herself in a quest to discover her limits and then push them – a valiant one Bahrain Victorious 13 has been proud to see through until its conclusion.

Bahrain Victorious 13 CEO Chris McCormack states, “His Highness Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa signed off on Daniela’s selection to the team, seeing her potential to inspire the kingdom and the Gulf region toward health, wellness and endurance sporting excellence. To partner with her on her journey into the history books, help fulfil her potential, and rejoice in every one of her triumphs has been our great pleasure. Daniela, as the longest-serving athlete on the roster, helped establish the Bahrain Victorious 13 as the most powerful and successful team in endurance sport.”

“I’m grateful for 10 amazing years at the top of racing with Bahrain Victorious,” responded Ryf. “It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m thankful for the support along the way.”