Kelly Holmes' farewell race on British soil at the Sheffield GP (© Getty Images)
Kelly Holmes, who in 2004 became only the third woman athlete in history to win the Olympic 800m and 1500m double, following in the footsteps of Tatyana Kazankina (URS/RUS, 1976) and Svetlana Masterkova (RUS, 1996), today announced that she has retired from athletics.
The British middle distance star had been selected for the English team for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in March but after a summer where she overcame injury while making a farewell tour of domestic events in Britain, Holmes, 35, has decided enough is enough.
“Nothing could ever top what I achieved in Athens last year,” confirmed Holmes. “I never had any plans to retire prior to the Olympic Games. I have always said that when I make my decision, it has to be from my point of view.”
“At the end of the day I have to have the final decision and wake up the next day happy with the decision I have made. I feel that is the right decision to make. I have good and bad times in my career, it has not always been enjoyable.”
Exemplifies the spirit of athletics
IAAF President Lamine Diack reacting to the announcement commented: "Kelly Holmes earned her place as one of the legends of our sport the hard way. What impressed the most about her was that she suffered so many years of disappointment and injury, and then, with her very last Olympic Games, comes out and wins two gold medals. That was just an amazing achievement, and for me represents the beauty of athletics. Her courage and determination never to quit exemplifies what I believe is the spirit of athletics. For this reason, now that she has retired, I really hope that Kelly will be one of the IAAF's Ambassadors. She has all the qualities we look for in terms of a role model for the next generation of athletes.”
Life changing experience
Holmes won the Commonwealth title in 1994, her first major championship gold. She was hopeful of actually running Melbourne, but the decision was prompted by something far from athletics.
Holmes was in Limerick having treatment from her physiotherapist Gerard Hartmann when she went to lunch with one of his friends.
“The guy’s name was Tim O’Brian,” said Holmes. “He had been playing tennis and he said he had fallen over and had hit his head and did not feel too well. We were having lunch and just chatting and he was telling me about some projects and he was full of life. I left and was in South Africa two days later when Gerard ran to say that Tim had been taken into hospital and he had four weeks to live.”
He was suffering from cancer. Holmes added: “Four weeks later he died. I thought I would do the Commonwealth Games up to that point. It was a life changing experience that sometimes touches you in more ways than you think.
“Why am I putting pressure and stress on myself when someone else does not have the chance to do that?”
“It was a big eye opener. I have achieved everything in life and someone else had that happen to them. That really upset me.”
“I was not injured and was looking towards Melbourne but Tim had just come into my life and it shook me up. I then got back into training and I did not want to do it anymore.”
I knew something special was going to happen
“There is a lot of time I thought I would never achieve the ultimate goal and become Olympic champion. I have spoken about fact that when I was at the Olympic Games, and I was in room and I closed all the doors and a big gust of air swirled around my neck and I knew something special was going to happen. I am not religious but that had an effect. It was just because I hanged in there.”
In Athens Holmes defied all the odds to firstly win the 800m, with a stirring performance and then on the penultimate day add the 1500m to her list of honours.
It was a double that had been achieved by a Briton only once before - Albert Hill, 84 years earlier in Antwerp.
Since she had become an ambassador for London’s 2012 Olympics and her fame has turned her into a national superstar.
Her Olympic success led to her being named a Dame by the Queen and she was voted as Britain’s sports personality of last year.
One of her new projects as she progresses with her new life will see her appearing on the reality television show Dancing On Ice. “I have never skated before,” she said. “But I needed another challenge.”
Richard Lewis for the IAAF