Danvers says ‘sadly my body has had enough’. 17 June 2012

LONDON - British athlete Tasha Danvers, who won bronze in the 400 metres hurdles at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, has announced her retirement after failing to recover from a succession of injury problems.

The 34-year-old Danvers had been hoping to compete in her home games in London but has quit the sport ahead of this week’s announcement of Britain’s preliminary squad for the track-and-field competition.

Danvers says in a statement that “based on my training at different stages, my coach and I believed we had a genuine chance of making it. But the setbacks have been too many to overcome.”

She also won silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in 2006, less than 18 months after giving birth to her son.

Danvers says “sadly my body has had enough.”

Olympics bronze medallist Tasha Danvers has retired from athletics after conceding defeat in her battle to be fit for the London 2012 Games.

The 34-year-old, who won a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, has suffered a series of injuries.

Ahead of the preliminary squad announcement for London 2012 this week Danvers, from south London, has announced her decision to quit the sport.

She said: ‘It’s extremely disappointing not to be able to put myself into contention for selection for London 2012.

‘Based on my training at different stages my coach and I believed we had a genuine chance of making it. But the setbacks have been too many to overcome.

‘Since winning Olympic bronze in Beijing I have made so many sacrifices to fulfil my dream of competing in London.

‘Making the decision to relocate back to the UK meant leaving my seven-year-old son behind in America, which is the hardest thing in the world to do.

‘But we genuinely believed I could step onto that podium again and with the support of my family, (coach) Malcolm Arnold, UKA, the medical team and the National Lottery, I’ve done everything possible to try to achieve that. Sadly my body has had enough.’

Danvers also won Commonwealth Games silver in 2006, less than 18 months after giving birth to her son, has made every final she has contested since 2004.

Arnold said: “This is the worse possible news for Tasha, but there is no doubt she has thrown everything at trying to make London.

‘She is an Olympic medallist and that pedigree doesn’t just disappear, I was confident that if we could get her to the Games she would have been very competitive.