The first ever British woman to win an Olympic hammer throw medal calls time on her athletics career aged 29

Sophie Hitchon, who won bronze medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2016 Olympics, has retired from athletics.

The 29-year-old won medals across every single age group including: gold at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, 2010 World Junior Championships and 2013 European Under-23 Championships, and bronze at the 2009 European Junior Championships.

She is also the winner of 12 national titles, owns the top 59 throws by a GB athlete (to 68.98m) and won Great Britain’s first Olympic medal in the hammer throw since Malcolm Nokes collected bronze in 1924.

Her bronze in Rio at the 2016 Olympics, in which Hitchon threw a British record of 74.54m, saw her become the first female British athlete to win an Olympic medal in the hammer throw and ended a 28-year Olympic medal drought for GB in women’s field events since Fatima Whitbread won silver in the women’s javelin at the 1988 Olympics.

The decision to retire was a culmination of discussions she had with her coach Tore Gustafsson. There was also agreement with British Athletics Olympic head coach Christian Malcolm and performance director Sara Symington.

Hitchon told British Athletics: “It has not been a decision I have taken lightly, but I am satisfied it’s right for me at this time and I’m leaving the sport on the right terms.

“I’ve always wanted to put in the best possible performance, always pushed myself to be challenging for medals or improving my best. But I’ve not been able to get myself in a position where I feel able to compete at that level again, and I only want to do it if I can be at my best.”

During her teenage years, Hitchon made her mark after she set a British junior record with a throw of 59.74m at the UK Throws event in Birmingham, followed by a 59.49m throw at the Blackpool Open Meeting the same weekend.

She also captained Great Britain’s women’s team at the 2010 World Junior Championships, where she won gold.

The 29-year-old will be most famous though for creating Olympic history in 2016 and now passes the hammer to the next generation.