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Britain’s most successful Olympic kayaker Liam Heath MBE has announced his retirement from competitive racing. The four-time Olympic medallist, who also holds the world’s fastest time and the Olympic record, will end the career this month.

As a youngster Liam progressed through the British junior and U23 team ranks, before taking a step away from the sport having contracted appendicitis then focusing on his degree in Industrial Design and Technology at Loughborough University. Now 37, Liam has been a stalwart on the international medal rostrum since he returned to the sport to form the highly successful K2 200m crew with Jon Schofield in 2009 and he retires as Britain’s most successful Olympic canoeist. He was awarded an MBE in Queen's 2017 New Year Honours list for services to canoeing.

“I have achieved so much, but for me it's been about the journey through the sport, my growth as a person and all the people that I've met on the way. There have been some brilliant people who have helped me get to where I have and helped me win these medals. I’ve got some really happy memories, I’m obviously sad to be leaving the international circuit but I’m curious about the future and hope that I can feedback some of the experiences I’ve gained and pass that knowledge on to the younger generations who want to achieve their potential, seeing how far they can travel in the canoe sprint world. The things I've treasured the most have been trying to push myself to be as fast as I can possibly be and exploring all the ways to get there. Standing on the podium singing the National Anthem at the Rio 2016 Games and celebrating with my friends and family is obviously the big one but sharing the podium with Jonny (Schofield) on a number of occasions were always significant for me because for so much of my career, a lot of my motivation and attitude has been driven from him, sat behind me in the K2 helping me to become a better person and athlete. There are a big group of people that share my successes, my family and my parents who helped me when I was a kid getting me around to different venues and different competitions, buying the boats when I didn't have the money to and even living back at home temporarily while I tried to find my way back into the team. My wife, Emily, my biggest fan, has kept me motivated when I got down, especially over the last couple of years and I can honestly say that without her support Tokyo would never have happened. I have a lot of other help as well from my coaching teams, Alex was hugely inspirational as my coach in the run up to London until after the Rio Games, and latterly Eric. I’d like to say thanks to them and the wider support crew who played a massive part in my career such as the physios, nutritionists, data analysts, S&C, performance lifestyle advisors, fellow athletes and everyone who has shared this journey with me. I would also like to extend my thanks to the National Lottery for supporting me throughout my career,” said Heath for the British Canoeing.

Source: https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/news/2022/liam-heath-mbe-retires-from-competitive-racing