British gymnast Beth Tweddle Beth Tweddle, Britain\'s most successful gymnast, on Tuesday announced her retirement from competitive sport with immediate effect .
The 28-year-old from Cheshire in northwest England made the news public a year to the day since she won an Olympic bronze medal on the uneven bars at the London Games.
\"It\'s been a hard decision to make. Gymnastics has been and always will be a massive part of my life,\" Tweddle said.
\"Following the Olympics, I\'ve had a lot of projects on and recently I\'ve had a bit more time to get back into the gym and decide whether I could put 100 percent into it and I know now deep down I can\'t commit to the hours and training to remain at the very top.\"
The South African-born Tweddle bows out as a three-time world champion, six-time European champion and seven-time national champion, making her the most decorated competitor in the history of British gymnastics.
Her speciality was the uneven bars on which she became the first British world champion in 2006 but she also won a global crown in the floor event in 2009 at London.
Born in Johannesburg, she moved to England as a toddler and her bronze in 2012 was the first Olympic medal won by a British female gymnast and completed a career in which she finished on the podium at every major competition.
London 2012 chief and British Olympic Association chairman Sebastian Coe led the tributes to her career.
\"During a remarkable career that has seen her achieve unprecedented success at every level of competition, Beth Tweddle has set a new standard of excellence for British Gymnastics,\" he said.
\"She has been an inspiration and a role model for a generation.\"
Tweddle made her announcement at Chobham Academy, a new school due to open next month on the site of the London 2012 Athletes\' Village, and also unveiled plans for a gymnastics academy there that will carry her name.
\"I\'m honoured that Chobham Academy has chosen to support my academy, and it\'s very special for me to be able to do this on the Olympic site,\" she said.
\"The school opens this September and my academy will be starting in mid-October. It will be open to anyone in the local area that wants to come along.
\"I want to give every child an opportunity to try gymnastics. I had to try a lot of sports before I found gymnastics. This way children can have a go; they might love it, they might hate it, but at least we\'ve given them the opportunity to try it.\"
Source: AFP