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White Ferns LIVE on SN Extra'My fire’s starting to fizzle': Kiwi Olympian Dakin bows out on his own terms
Sport Nation •  March 5th, 2026 12:22 pm
Sam Dakin | Photo: Photopsort
Kiwi cyclist Sam Dakin has announced he's hanging up his black lycra for good.
The Birmingham 2022 team sprint bronze medallist has confirmed that the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will be his last, confirming his retirement from professional cycling.
"I've made the call that after a very long time of chasing dreams around the world and doing some really cool stuff that I've decided to close this chapter of my life," Dakin told Sport Nation on Thursday.
"If I didn't, it would be before that, but the plan is very much to to close it out in style in front of a beautiful Glasgow crowd with my family there and just spend the final campaign throwing everything I've got at it."
The 29-year-old Aucklander has spent almost 11 years at the elite level, including two Olympic Games, three elite World Championships, his medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games medal along with multiple national titles.
"Being able to do it on my own terms is something most athletes don't get to do," he adds.
"You know, some people start to decline in performance and ultimately get dropped or not selected or others stay in it longer than they should when they fall out of love with it.Â
"Whereas I can feel my fire starting to fizzle out and I'm really committed to getting out before my fire's completely gone.Â
"I don't want to look back. I don't wanna kind of resent the thing that I've loved the most and I know that if I was to carry on through to LA that there's a very real chance that would happen."
Listen to the full interview below:
