Double Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee has described receiving his OBE from Prince William this week as “special and surreal”.

The British triathlon great was presented with the honour, awarded for services to triathlon and to charity, during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday [7 October].

Brownlee won Olympic gold at London 2012 before successfully defending his title at Rio 2016, becoming the first triathlete to win two Olympic titles.

But even for someone who reached the very top of his sport, this latest recognition was something he could never have imagined.

‘I lived out my childhood dreams’

Speaking to the BBC after receiving his OBE – Officer of the Order of the British Empire – Brownlee reflected on a career which had allowed him to fulfil his ambitions.

“It’s very special. I mean, I had an amazing sporting career and lived out my childhood dreams doing it, which was fantastic,” he said.

“But you know, you never really expect – well, never mind expect, I could never have imagined that I’d end up being awarded an OBE for doing what I did in triathlon and since.

“So yeah, it’s really, really, really special and surreal.”

Brownlee’s two Olympic victories remain defining moments for British triathlon. At London 2012, he topped the podium as younger brother Jonny claimed bronze, before the pair went one better in Rio with Alistair winning gold and Jonny taking silver.

New challenges since retirement

Brownlee retired from professional competition in 2024, but his appetite for endurance challenges remains undimmed.

Earlier this year, he finished runner-up to defending champion Kristian Grue at the iconic Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, pushing the Norwegian all the way in one of the sport’s toughest swim-bike-run tests.

That was another addition to an increasingly varied collection of ‘bucket list’ adventures for the 38-year-old, who has also completed Patagonman in Chile, raced up the Empire State Building, gravel cycled across South Africa, taken on an epic ski mountaineering challenge and – closer to home – tackled both the Three Peaks Fell Race and Cyclo-Cross Race.