The British Olympic gold medallist Alex Danson has retired from hockey.
Danson, 34, triumphed with Great Britain’s women’s hockey team at Rio 2016. Two years later, in September 2018, she suffered a freak head injury that caused mild brain trauma and meant she could not cope with bright light or noise for over nine months.
She was on holiday with her boyfriend, now her husband, and threw back her head and laughed when he told her a joke. She hit her head against a brick wall and the damage became evident as the days, weeks and months passed. Despite hoping to return, the British captain has called time on her career.
“After a long 18 months but a fabulous 18 years in the sport, it’s the right time for me to retire,” she said. “It’s been the most incredible journey I could have asked for, but a lot has changed. My head injury has been life-changing, also in terms of my perspective and things that have happened within my family.
“Throughout my career I’ve been 100% immersed in being an athlete, but my priorities are different now. All of that means it’s the right time. I’ve known over the last couple of weeks that it was a decision I needed to come to. It’s difficult because this has been my life. It’ll be strange moving into something new, but I’m totally thankful and content. I have zero regrets about the way I’ve lived my career.”
Great Britain Hockey
(@GBHockey)We’ve been #InspiredByAlex more times than we can remember 🙏
Thank you @AlexDanson15 💙 pic.twitter.com/ldH4f1TCHQ
Great Britain hockey performance director Ed Barney added: “Alex is a truly special person. It is impossible to find the right words to reflect how fortunate we have been to have Alex as part of our sport. We will miss her hugely both on and off the pitch. Having spoken with Alex, we know that she has made an incredibly difficult decision, but one that is right for her. Her achievements in the sport should be an incredible source of pride for her and her family and a motivation to others.”