Weir retires from Great Britain competition
Six-time Paralympic champion |A|
David Weir has retired |B|
from Great Britain competition |C|
after finishing fifth in |D|
the men's T54 marathon |E|
on the final day |F|
of the Paris Games. However, |G|
the 45-year-old, who won |H|
two golds in Beijing |J|
in 2008 before his |K|
four titles at London |L|
2012, will continue to |M|
compete in the major |O|
international marathons, including London. "I'm |P|
quite emotional as I |Q|
know it's my last |R|
race for GB, this |S|
will be my last |U|
international," he told BBC |V|
Sport after finishing over |Y|
five minutes behind gold |Z|
medallist Marcel Hug of |A|
Switzerland. "I'll still do the |B|
major marathons as I |C|
really enjoy them and |D|
I've got Berlin in |E|
two weeks. "I knew before |F|
I came to Paris |G|
and I've been thinking |H|
about it all week. |J|
It's the decision I |K|
want to do. It's |L|
the right decision." Weir, |M|
who was competing at |O|
his seventh Games, having |P|
made his first appearance |Q|
as a teenager in |R|
Atlanta in 1996, finished |S|
eighth in his 5,000m |U|
final earlier in the |V|
programme but failed to |Y|
advance from the heats |Z|
of the 1500m. He stepped |A|
away from international competition |B|
after Rio 2016 where |C|
he failed to win |D|
a medal and claimed |E|
he was accused of |F|
throwing a race. But he |G|
returned to the team |H|
and competed in the |J|
marathon at Tokyo, where |K|
he finished fifth and |L|
opted to compete on |M|
the track and road |O|
in Paris. "My body just |P|
couldn't cope with it |Q|
today to be honest," |R|
said the eight-time London |S|
Marathon winner. "I was the |U|
oldest in that field |V|
today but still highly |Y|
competitive. Daniel [Romanchuk, who |Z|
finished fourth] is 20 |A|
years younger than me |B|
- I could be |C|
his dad - so |D|
I'm doing alright. I |E|
gave it my all |F|
today and that's all |G|
I can give. "I'll look |H|
back on my GB |J|
career with pride. I |K|
don't really pat myself |L|
on the back. I |M|
should really. I should |O|
be proud of what |P|
I've done. "I've had a |Q|
great career. I'm trying |R|
not to get emotional |S|
but it's time. I |U|
think it's time." In the |V|
women's race, Britain's Eden |Y|
Rainbow-Cooper failed to finish |Z|
because of a back |A|
injury as Switzerland's Catherine |B|
Debrunner won her fifth |C|
gold of the Games.
