Dai Greene, a former 400-meter hurdles world, European, and Commonwealth champion, has retired from competitive athletics at the age of 38.
The Welshman stated that coaching is his next move after helping to mentor other athletes.
A 400-meter hurdles record and an Olympic gold medal were the only things missing from Greene’s stellar track career.
The apex was winning the 400-meter hurdles gold medal at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, after backing Great Britain to the silver medal in the 4×400-meter relay two years earlier in Berlin.
2010 saw Greene win gold for Wales in Delhi after winning gold for Team GB in Barcelona. She also took home the Commonwealth title.
However, a series of injury issues prevented Greene from ever quite reaching those levels again.
In 2018, he acknowledged that difficulties with a hernia mesh had caused him to lose five years of his career, leaving him “bitter and frustrated” following surgery to correct a small hernia.
“Despite my best efforts over the past few years, I have been unable to participate in one more competitive season in the sport,” Greene said to social media.
“I decided not to pursue a comeback to competition after my daughter was born in December.
You could say that my career has two parts. I had won every sporting event by the time I was 25 years old, with the exception of the Olympics, but I don’t think I really reached my full potential.
“I should have spent the years between 2013 and 2016 perfecting my craft and making the most of my abilities, but a routine surgery gone wrong dashed my hopes.
“Subsequent corrective surgeries meant I was never able to return to my peak performance, though I occasionally caught glimpses of the athlete I once was.”
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