Leonie Beck has retired from competitive swimming after a 10-year top class career in which she took part at three Olympics and won world and European open water titles.
The 29-year-old German athlete posted her announcement on social media, saying: “Swimming may no longer be my profession, but water and sport will always be part of who I am. And the next chapter has already begun.
“Thank you for everything. And stay tuned. Leonie.”
Beck competed at three Olympics, debuting in the pool at the Rio 2016 Games, where she raced in the women’s 800m freestyle, before finishing fifth and ninth in open water swimming at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games respectively.
Her switch in event yielded spectacular results. She won world team gold and 10km silver in 2022, and world 5km and 10km gold at the 2023 Fukuoka Championships.
She won the European 10km open water title in 2022 and retained it at the Belgrade 2024 edition, where she also won 5km gold.
Beck took a break from the water after Paris 2024 and earned a Masters degree in media communication.
She has since pursued numerous media opportunities, several of them within European Aquatics, for whom she contributed to last year’s Beyond the Buoy open water project as well as taking part in the first EA Media Seminar for Athletes.
At the recently concluded European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026 she also brought her natural vivacity and knowledge to bear in commentary stints sitting alongside Andy Jameson, who won European and Commonwealth golds and world and Olympic bronze medals in the 100m butterfly.
One of her highlights in the commentary box was helping to call the men’s world 1500m freestyle record set by her 19-year-old compatriot Johannes Liebmann.
Speaking about her decision to retire, Beck told German TV’s Blickpunkt Sport: “I’m doing so well, I’m having so much fun doing what I’m doing now
“I went to a thousand events and also got into the media. And that’s why I’ve now decided that I want to continue in this direction and not return to competitive sport
Beck’s decision to specialise in open water swimming after Rio 2016 was partly inspired by her training partner Thomas Lurz, the double Olympic medallist.
“Like everywhere else, the beginning wasn’t easy, but with experience and time I started to get better and better results,” she told European Aquatics.
“What I like most about open water swimming is that we are like a big family. We know and respect each other and, most importantly, we have fun together.”
Asked about the biggest challenge she had faced in her career, she responded: “A career always includes setbacks, and I’ve had more of those than successes. So, I’ve faced many challenges that I had to overcome, but that’s completely normal.
“However, I would say the biggest challenge was when mental health suddenly started to play a role for me. I’m continuously working on managing this in a positive way.”
And in terms of assessing the proudest moment of her career, she added: “From a sports perspective, it was my first individual gold in the 10km at the 2023 World Championships, with direct qualification for the Olympic Games.
“Beside my sport highlights I´m proud of what I´ve achieved beyond – completing a Master’s degree, receiving a fair play award, receiving the Bavarian Order of Merit – these are things that really honour me.”
Reflecting on her career, she commented: “My studies and the decision to pursue a dual career gave me the opportunity to discover interests beyond swimming and prepare for what would come next.
“I think we should talk about this much more often in sport. Athletes are always more than their results – and preparing for life after your active career doesn’t mean you’re less committed to the sport you love.”
Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics
