Scots athlete and Olympic medallist Eilidh Doyle announces her retirement from the track

Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete, Eilidh Doyle, has announced her retirement.

The 34-year-old double Olympian said that now was the right time to bow out and look forward to spending more time with husband Brian and young son Campbell.

I have some news to share with you all ❤️ pic.twitter.com/hjp6TVhhNJ

— Eilidh Doyle (@EilidhDoyle) June 2, 2021

Announcing the news, she said: “I remember so clearly being nine years old and joining Pitreavie Athletics Club as a bit of fun.

“Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined where the sport would take me over the next 25 years. Not all of it has been easy but my love for athletics has always been constant and still remains so to this day.

“Athletics has all my heart, focus and love but today I announce my retirement as a competitive athlete.

“I take with me so many amazing memories but, most importantly, I step away happy in the knowledge that this is the right time for me to go. I’m not saying it was an easy decision to make, but it was the right one and I am grateful I got to choose when it happened.”

In a glittering career, Doyle won 17 major international medals, including three consecutive silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

She was Team Scotland’s flag-bearer for the Gold Coast Games in 2018.

Doyle competed at the London 2012 Olympics and won bronze in the 4x400m at Rio in 2016.

Holder of a number of Scottish national records, she is also a board member of scottishathletics and a Trustee with Athletics Trust Scotland.

© Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Doyle, who gave birth to her first child, Campbell, in January 2020, said the sport had brought her “so much more than just medals”.

She added: “I have made lifelong friends, experienced incredible atmospheres, made history and even met my husband because of it.

“Now we have our wee boy, Campbell, and so much more to look forward to as a family. I do find it fitting however that my last international competition was winning a silver medal in front of a home crowd in Glasgow. Athletics will always hold a special place in my heart and now I get to enjoy it from the other side as a fan.

“I have so many people I need to thank, who have been part of my journey, and over the next couple of weeks I hope to be able to thank you all personally. To everyone who has supported me and cheered me on over the years, I am so grateful to you all. I would like to give special thanks however to those who were there at the very beginning and introduced me to the sport I love, my mum, my dad, my big sisters and my big brother.

© Mike Egerton/PA Wire

“Finally, I say thank you to Brian, not only for being my coach, my soft tissue therapist, for looking after the dog when I was travelling the world and, more recently, for looking after Campbell to let me train, but for being my supporter, challenger and for showing me how easy it was to pursue my dreams.

“What an adventure it has been and now I look forward to the next one, whatever it may be.”