HEPTATHLET TE ENNIS-HILL CALLS IT A DA AY

LONDON: Britain’s Jessica EnnisHill, who won heptathlon gold at the 2012 Olympics, announced her retirement from athletics.

In a post on social media yesterday the 30-year-old reigning world champion described it as “one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make”.

“I’ve always said I wanted to leave on a high and have no regrets. I know that retiring now is right,” she wrote on Instagram.

Ennis-Hill, a two-time world champion in 2009 and 2015, had hinted at retirement after claiming silver at the Rio Olympics.

Ennis-Hill won heptathlon gold in London 2012, to claim victory on “Super Saturday”, which also saw fellow Britons Mo Farah win the 10,000m and Greg Rutherford the long jump inside the Olympic Stadium.

She competed in Rio two years after the birth of her son Reggie and had been bidding to become just the third athlete to successfully defend her Olympic crown after having a baby.

But she missed out on retaining her title by 35 points to Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam.

“Amazing memories ... from my first world title in Berlin 2009 to Rio 2016 I’m so fortunate to have had such an amazing career within the sport I love and this has been one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make,” she wrote on Instagram.

“But I know that retiring now is right. I’ve always said I want to leave my sport on a high and have no regrets and I can truly say that.

“I want to thank my family and incredible team who have spent so much of their time supporting me and enabling me to achieve my dreams. Also a huge thank you to all those people who have supported and followed my career over the years.” — AFP