Dean Macey retires from athletics after Beijing Olympics disappointment
Gone fishing: Dean Macey will find more time for his angling after his retirement
Less than a week after injuries put paid to triple jumper, Ashia Hansen's hopes of going to the Beijing Olympics, Macey has been forced to accept that he will never be fit enough to contest another top class decathlon.
His decision came as no surprise after he failed in his last-minute bid to achieve the Olympic qualifying mark of 8,000pts at a competition in Hexham at the weekend.
Macey managed only 7,491pts after battling against a series of injury problems that began when he tore a muscle in his groin in the long jump, only the second of the 10 disciplines he attempted over the two days.
It was the worst way to end his Olympic dream but it was an outcome that was always on the cards for an athlete who has struggled against a catalogue of injuries throughout his decade at the top. A frenetic trainer, he probably spent more time on the treatment table than any other British athlete and contested only half a dozen major decathlons in his senior career.
advertisementMacey said: "This is the most difficult decision that I have ever had to make but, if I'm being honest, I don't believe that I can stay healthy anymore.
"My heart is there, my mind is there but my body has finally given in. It's been an amazing journey over the last few years and the support that I have received has been phenomenal.
"I've given nothing but 100 per cent over the last decade and worn my Great Britain vest with pride."
In between his injury problems, it was always a vibrant and defiant Macey who lined up against the world's best. He burst onto the world scene at the 1999 world championships, where his silver medal promised a golden future.
It was not to be. He claimed the bronze medal at the 2001 world championships in Edmonton and his only title came at the Commonwealth Games, in Melbourne in 2006. His two Olympic appearances saw him finish fourth at the Sydney and Athens Games.
He knew that if he made it to Beijing, the Olympic decathlon would be his last chance to make an impression but he never made it. Speaking before he travelled to Hexham, Macey admitted that he often felt embarrassed at the support he received from UK Athletics and the lottery-funded world class performance programme.
He said: "I used to think 'Do I deserve this?' I wanted to say to them, 'Shouldn't you be spending more time on someone else?'"
Easily Britain's most entertaining athlete and the man who brought worldwide recognition to Canvey Island where he still lives, Macey can look forward to resuming a media career which began promisingly a few years ago with a regular series for the Sky Discovery Channel on angling, the passtime that occupied him between training sessions.
Less than a week after injuries put paid to triple jumper, Ashia Hansen's hopes of going to the Beijing Olympics, Macey has been forced to accept that he will never be fit enough to contest another top class decathlon.
His decision came as no surprise after he failed in his last-minute bid to achieve the Olympic qualifying mark of 8,000pts at a competition in Hexham at the weekend.
Macey managed only 7,491pts after battling against a series of injury problems that began when he tore a muscle in his groin in the long jump, only the second of the 10 disciplines he attempted over the two days.
It was the worst way to end his Olympic dream but it was an outcome that was always on the cards for an athlete who has struggled against a catalogue of injuries throughout his decade at the top. A frenetic trainer, he probably spent more time on the treatment table than any other British athlete and contested only half a dozen major decathlons in his senior career.
advertisementMacey said: "This is the most difficult decision that I have ever had to make but, if I'm being honest, I don't believe that I can stay healthy anymore.
"My heart is there, my mind is there but my body has finally given in. It's been an amazing journey over the last few years and the support that I have received has been phenomenal.
"I've given nothing but 100 per cent over the last decade and worn my Great Britain vest with pride."
In between his injury problems, it was always a vibrant and defiant Macey who lined up against the world's best. He burst onto the world scene at the 1999 world championships, where his silver medal promised a golden future.
It was not to be. He claimed the bronze medal at the 2001 world championships in Edmonton and his only title came at the Commonwealth Games, in Melbourne in 2006. His two Olympic appearances saw him finish fourth at the Sydney and Athens Games.
He knew that if he made it to Beijing, the Olympic decathlon would be his last chance to make an impression but he never made it. Speaking before he travelled to Hexham, Macey admitted that he often felt embarrassed at the support he received from UK Athletics and the lottery-funded world class performance programme.
He said: "I used to think 'Do I deserve this?' I wanted to say to them, 'Shouldn't you be spending more time on someone else?'"
Easily Britain's most entertaining athlete and the man who brought worldwide recognition to Canvey Island where he still lives, Macey can look forward to resuming a media career which began promisingly a few years ago with a regular series for the Sky Discovery Channel on angling, the passtime that occupied him between training sessions.
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