Three time Olympian Andrea Hansen has announced her retirement from elite triathlon.
After a career spanning 18 years, she has taken the decision to step away from the sport and devote her time to raising her 2 year-old daughter.
Prior to her announcement, Hansen had not raced since last July’s Commonwealth Games. In Birmingham she finished 18th in the individual race and 4th in the Mixed Team Relay.
She was still in the running to make the New Zealand Olympic team next year. The recent performances of Ainsley Thorpe and, in particular, Nicole Van Der Kaay would have made her road to Paris a challenging one. Nonetheless, Hansen was on track to fight for the spot.
Moreover, prior to the New Plymouth World Cup, she was the third highest New Zealand woman in the individual Olympic qualification rankings.
Having not competed internationally for a little over two years, she kicked off her 2022 with three straight medals at Oceania Cup races.
Last year, Hansen was also valuable member of the New Zealand relay in both Leeds and Hamburg. With the afore-mentioned Thorpe and Van Der Kaay, the New Zealand relay will be in good hands going forward although replacing Hansen’s experience will be no mean feat.
As an example, in 2018 she led off the team that stunned the fancied French and British relays in Edmonton. The New Zealand bronze medal that day remains one of the high points for the country in the event over the past half dozen years.
Although, she has had a number of great seasons, one from Hansen’s vault that really stands out was her 2017. That year, she won both WTCS Abu Dhabi and WTCS Gold Coast. A bronze medal at WTCS Montreal followed later in the summer.
Along with Ashleigh Gentle (who’s sole 2017 win came in Montreal), Hansen was the only woman not named Flora Duffy that won a WTCS race that season.
Beyond the times, results and raw performances, the elite field is losing a much-loved and well-respected part of the community. She will be missed.
