POZZI CALLS TIME ON ILLUSTRIOUS HURDLES CAREER

World Athletics Indoor gold medallist Andrew Pozzi has today confirmed he is retiring from Athletics following a 15-year career competing for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Stratford-upon-Avon athlete has today confirmed the decision after the diagnosis of a talus stress fracture earlier this week. Pozzi was due to be named as a member of the Paris 2024 track and field team for the Olympic Games but unfortunately has had to turn down the selection following the outcome of detailed scans and tests.

The highlight of Pozzi’s career will no doubt be that memorable moment on home soil when he won World Athletics Indoor Championship 60m hurdles gold in Birmingham back in 2018.

The West Midlands city proved to be a hotspot for Pozzi as he also won 110m hurdles bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which would be the last major medal of his long and illustrious career.

In 2017 he also won the European indoor 60m hurdles title in Belgrade and added the silver to his collection at the 2021 edition in Torun.

A club member of Stratford-upon-Avon since a junior, Pozzi first competed from GB & NI at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Bressanone, Italy in 2009, before winning silver at the 2011 European Junior Championships in the 110m hurdles.

A year later, he was called-up to the senior British team at a home Olympic Games in London.  He would compete at two more Olympic Games, finishing seventh at the 2020 Tokyo Games; his best result.

He said: “It has been an honour to compete for Great Britain and Northern Ireland over the last 15 years and pursue so many of the dreams that inspired me so deeply while growing up. At every stage of my journey from the beginning at Stratford-upon-Avon Athletics Club until the present day in Cardiff with Colin Jackson I have had the immense fortune to have been supported by fantastic people and institutions, for which I’ll forever be grateful.

“Athletics in Great Britain is underpinned by so many incredible people that do so much for others whilst asking for so little in return. I hope that some of my performances gave those people as much joy as their support gave me and I want to wish all of my team mates heading to Paris the very best of luck.”