Sarah Ayton has announced she is to retire with immediate effect, ending her quest for an historic third Olympic title at the London 2012 Games.

Ayton, 30, claimed Olympic glory in the Yngling class in Athens with Shirley Robertson and Sarah Webb, and again in Beijing with Webb and Pippa Wilson.

But she has called time on her bid to become the first British woman to win three consecutive Olympic golds at London 2012.

Ayton, who is married to Olympic bronze medal-winning windsurfer Nick Dempsey, began her 2012 campaign in April 2010, nine months after giving birth to the couple’s first son Thomas.

She was sailing with Skandia Team GBR in the two-person 470 class with Beijing Olympian Saskia Clark, but the demands of Olympic classes sailing and motherhood have proved a relentless juggling act which left her drained and unhappy.

‘To succeed at the highest level as an Olympic athlete you ultimately have to be pretty single-minded, and that’s something that just doesn’t sit happily when you’re a mum as well,’ Ayton explained.

‘Winning gold is what Olympic sailing is all about, so working towards 2012 and feeling like I can’t give it my full attention has made me question why I am doing it, especially when it involves missing out on important time with Thomas.

‘Full engagement is what makes the difference between being average and being great, in Olympic sport or whatever aspect of life.

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‘I am really looking forward to focusing my time and energy on Thomas, who’s now 19 months old and into everything, and to supporting Nick, who is working harder than ever on his own Olympic campaign, so that he has the best possible chance of winning gold in 2012.

‘My sailing career has always been about the Olympics and I remain passionate and excited about London 2012, so I hope there will be lots of other ways to remain involved over the next 18 months in the build up.’

Ayton remains excited about the prospect of an Olympic Games on home soil. ‘London 2012 will be an amazing thing for our country - literally a once in a lifetime event which will excite and inspire, and I hope everyone will get behind it,’ she added.

‘Although I won’t be there competing, I really hope that I can be involved in one way or another.’

Kim Mogg, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine