London: British athletics great Jessica Ennis-Hill, who won heptathlon gold at the 2012 Olympics, announced her retirement from athletics on Thursday. In a post on social media 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.
British Athletics described her record as an athlete as “phenomenal”, adding: “And that’s without considering the challenges of returning from pregnancy to win world gold and Olympic silver.” Jessica, a two-time world champion in 2009 and 2015, had hinted at retirement after claiming silver at the Rio Olympics. 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.
