THE LAST MILEY
Hannah calls it a day after ‘one hell of a ride’
HANNAH MILEY insisted she achieved everything she possibly could as the swimmer confirmed her retirement at age 32.
It concludes a career that brought the Scot one world and three European titles, plus golds at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and Glasgow in her favoured 400metres individual medley.
Only one item on her medal hitlist remains unticked – the Olympic Games, with Miley sixth in Beijing in 2008 and fifth in London four years later.
Then there was the heartbreak of Rio 2016 when she sat in third place with the finish line of an epic final in sight, only to lose out on bronze to
Spain’s Mireia Belmonte by 13-hundredths of a second.
But Miley said: “I look back with pride and a smile as I feel like I have achieved everything I possibly could over the last 17 years of international racing.
“Whilst the Olympic medal eluded me, I still feel satisfied I couldn’t have given it any more.”
Shoulder surgery last year effectively put paid to her chances of a fourth Games in Tokyo and now she has shut the door to one last hurrah when the Commonwealths hit Birmingham next summer.
Miley said: “It’s a sport I will always love and while I’ll be hanging up my racing suit, my goggles will remain in hand.
“I remember being an eight-year-old swimmer desperate to go to the pool.
“Twenty-four years later, that feeling hasn’t changed. Three Olympic Games, double
Commonwealth champion, world and European champion, European record holder.
“To stand on the podium and listen to the national anthem for both Great Britain and Team Scotland is indescribable. It’s been one hell of a ride.”
Miley’s announcement came on the day that World Athletics announced the 2024 World Indoor Championships will be held in Glasgow, its first staging in Scotland.