Louise Hazel: Commonwealth champion quits heptathlon

Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Louise Hazel has announced her retirement from heptathlon, although she could compete in other events.

Hazel, 27, won gold for England at the 2010 Games in Delhi, but will not defend the title at Glasgow 2014.

"I'm retiring from heptathlon but I'm not ruling out other sports. I feel I can't carry on in that discipline," said the Birchfield Harrier.

"The past 17 years have been an amazing journey and one I'm very grateful for."

After making her major championship debut for Great Britain at the 2006 European Championships, Hazel went on to finish 14th at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

Her personal best of 6,166 points set in Germany in 2011 ranks her as the seventh best British heptathlete of all time, but she could only finish 27th at the London 2012 Games, where Jessica Ennis-Hill took gold and Katarina Johnson Thompson came 15th.

In March, she called England Athletics' selection policy for next year's Commonwealth Games "elitism gone mad".

Since the Games, Hazel has competed over 60m hurdles and remains in the top 10 in the UK in the discipline.