British great Goldie Sayers calls time on javelin career
Thursday 4 May 2017 14:58, UK
Triple Olympic javelin thrower Goldie Sayers has announced her retirement from the sport at the age of 34.
Sayers represented Team GB at the 2004 Athens Olympics, at Beijing in 2008 and at London 2012. The Cambridgeshire athlete is an 11-time British champion and also competed at five World Championships and three Commonwealth Games.
She finished fourth at the Beijing Olympics but re-testing of anti-doping samples - uncovering a doping violation by Russia's Mariya Abakumova - saw her elevated to third last year.
Sayers said: "I am proud to retire after a 20-year career in athletics as a three-time Olympian, British record holder, 11-time national champion and - hopefully - an Olympic medallist.
"I am also extremely privileged to have captained the record-breaking European team in 2014, and wish all my team-mates every success in the months and years ahead.
"I am very keen to help develop the sport in the UK and help youngsters advance in a highly technical event. I would love to help influence the influencers and get javelin throwing in the UK back up to levels we used to enjoy when I was a youngster.
"This can only happen through good coaching and leadership and I am keen to help develop existing coaches and find more of them."
British Athletics performance director Neil Black added "Goldie's javelin career has been inspirational.
"She is up there with the all-time greats of British throwing. She first broke the British junior javelin record in 2001 and continued to break British records throughout her career.
"Whilst today marks the end of Goldie's involvement in athletics as a competitor, I am glad she intends to remain active within the sport.
"Hopefully, at some point in the very near future, Goldie will be awarded the Olympic bronze medal she rightly deserves from Beijing, which will top off a fantastic athletics career."
The British Olympic Association has announced Sayers as Team GB's deputy chef de mission for the Gyor 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival.
