Olympic medallist Goldie Sayers announces retirement
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Updated 03/05/2017 at 10:28 GMT
British javelin record holder and Olympic medallist Goldie Sayers has announced her retirement.
Goldie Sayers
Image credit: Getty Images
Sayers threw a national record to finish fourth at the Beijing Games in 2008 – but, eight years later, she was upgraded to bronze after Russian rival Maria Abakumova failed a retrospective drug test. She is still awaiting her medal.
"Initially I was just really happy [about being promoted into bronze]," Sayers told BBC Sport. "I'd been chasing something that had eluded me and then all of a sudden, driving down the M11, I had it.
But actually now I'm much angrier about it - and I'm not an angry person at all. There's a deep sense of injustice. I was desperate to draw a line under my career and move on because I think endings are important - but at this rate I'll be drawing my pension before I get an Olympic medal.
The 34-year-old also competed at Athens 2004 and London 2012 – where a torn elbow ligament dashed her hopes of a medal on home soil – plus five IAAF World Championships and three Commonwealth Games.
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Goldie Sayers
Image credit: Getty Images
"Goldie’s javelin career has been inspirational. She is up there with the all-time greats of British throwing," British Athletics Performance Director Neil Black said.
"She first broke the British junior javelin record in 2001 and continued to break British records throughout her career."
Her British record still stands at 66.17m from 2012.
"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," added Black.
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