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James McIlroy, an 800m semi-finalist at both the 2000 Olympic Games and 2005 World Championships, has decided to retire citing a lack of financial and medical support.
"Ideally, it would have been nice to continue through to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, but every sportsperson comes to this crossroads," said the Northern Irish athlete through a prepared statement. "I set an indoor personal best in the 1000m in Gent a few weeks ago (2:18.84) and am happy to go out while still running at a good level."
McIlroy recorded personal best times of 1:44.65 for 800m and 2:15.57 for 1000m; the latter mark made him the third-fastest Briton of all time. His key career accomplishments were fourth place finishes over 800m in the 1998 European Championships and the 2005 European Indoor Championships. He also finished sixth at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time in running but now it's time to call it a day," McIlroy concluded, thanking his coaches Sean Kyle, Kim McDonald, Alan Storey, Tony Lester and Mark Rowland for their guidance over the years.
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