European 800m champion Lynsey Sharp has retired from athletics, saying she had “given everything I was ready for; mentally, physically and financially”. Lynsey Sharp, 33, returned in January from injury and childbirth after more than three years off the track. Now the Scot has announced the end of her career after months of discussion.
She said juggling athletics with motherhood was “not something you can do half-heartedly”.
“During my career I was often asked about the sacrifices I made to be an athlete – I never saw those life choices as sacrifices; I didn’t want to spend my time on anything else. Time passes and your priorities change. I now feel that I am making sacrifices in other aspects of my life to continue to pursue my athletic career”, wrote the Scottish athlete Lynsey Sharp, who is double Olympian and former Commonwealth Games silver medalist. “And that’s why I know now is the right time to hang up my spikes. As with any sporting career, the road has been tough”, added she.
Lynsey Sharp is the 2012 European champion and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Her personal best is 1:57.69, the seventh fastest time over 800m by a British woman, set in the final of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
