Rebecca Romero has announced that she will not be competing at the London 2012 Olympics after she has made the decision to withdraw from the British Cycling Olympic programme.
Romero is one of the few athletes to win Olympic medals in two sports – she won silver as part of the rowing quad in Athens and then swapped sports to cycling where she won gold in the individual pursuit in Beijing.
But she has struggled to find her previous form this year with below par performances at both the world championships and world cup events in 2011. And with competition for spots on the British team more fierce than ever Romero has decided now is the time for her to stop.
The 31 year old said, “Having suffered several setbacks at crucial points, I believe I’m no longer on a pathway which will see me fulfil my Olympic ambition to win a second Olympic gold medal.
“I’m proud to have contributed to the cycling team’s great Olympic triumph in Beijing and I thank all the amazing people within British Cycling who were central to my success. I wish my current team mates every success in London next year.”
British Cycling’s Performance Manager Shane Sutton said, “Rebecca’s decision to leave is a great loss to the team and it’s a shame to lose an Olympic Champion going into the Olympic year.
“Looking ahead, we have some great young talent in addition to experienced riders in the Team Pursuit squad and I’m confident we can remain on track to hit our performance targets in the lead up to and during the London Olympic Games.”
Louise Hudson, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
