Laura Weightman announced her retirement from athletics.

Northumberland runner Laura Weightman has officially announced her retirement as a professional athlete.

Born in Alnwick, the 32-year-old has won silver at the Commonwealth Games, two Bronze medals at the European Championships and also qualified for the 1500m final at the 2012 Olympics in London and again at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

After suffering several injuries and enduring surgeries and the recovery process, she decided enough was enough. However, she will continue her involvement in the sport, primarily coaching.

Weightman owns a 1500-metre personal best of 4:00.09, which she ran in Berlin three years ago. Showing range, she ran the 5000m event in Monaco that same year in the time of 14:35.44. 

She did not have the chance to fully explore the super shoe era. If able to continue the expectation is that her bests would be faster. Perhaps sub-4:00 and 10 to 15 seconds faster in the 5000m event.

Weightman earned silver and bronze medals in the 1500m and 5000m events during the Glasgow and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, respectively.

She is a four-time national 1500m champion. In 2012, she competed in the London Olympics where she made the final. It would turn out to be a year that half of the field was eventually suspended for doping-related reasons.\

In an online post, she said: "I’ve had a very challenging few years dealing with a number of injuries, surgery and extensive rehab. Throughout this period I always believed I could return and compete again at the highest level, but my body is saying no.

In order to protect my long-term health I’ve made this very difficult decision. I’m heartbroken I won’t get to race just one last time. However, I hope that one day my body will allow me to run for fun. It needs time, as much as I do mentally, to heal from such a difficult period."

"I will always look back and be proud of the career I have had. I can’t even imagine telling the 13 year old ‘me’ what journey she was about to embark on! Sport really is so much more than the medals and PB’s. It’s the people and places it’s taken me that I’ll never forget. I will be forever grateful to those around me who have made this journey possible. Too many to name, but they know who they are."