Anna Shackley Announces Retirement at 22 Due to Heart Condition.

Posted 13 days ago

Anna Shackley, a highly promising British cyclist, has had to retire at the age of 22 due to heart problems.

Scottish cyclist Anna Shackley, who currently holds the title of British Under-23 road race champion and secured a bronze medal in the under-23 category at last year's World Championships in Glasgow, has had to retire due to cardiac arrhythmia.

Expressing her deep disappointment, Shackley mentioned, "To say I'm devastated would be a huge understatement. Cycling has been my entire life for as long as I can remember, and unfortunately, it has come to a premature ending."

Shackley represented Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics at just 20 years old, also achieving under-23 silver at the European Championships. She had notable finishes such as 13th in the general classification at the Giro d'Italia and seventh overall at the Tour de Romandie.

Despite the setback, Shackley expressed gratitude for her time as a professional cyclist, saying, "I had many plans and ambitions for the future, and that being taken away from me has been very hard. However, I count myself lucky to have had the unique experience of being a professional in [my] hobby. Wee Anna would never have believed that."

Danny Stam, sports manager for Shackley's SD Worx-Protime team, expressed regret, stating, "We are very sorry to see Anna's cycling career end like this."