Paralympian Taggart announces retirement from boccia
Claire Taggart represented Great Britain in boccia for 11 years
- Published
Three-time Northern Ireland Paralympian Claire Taggart has announced her retirement from boccia.
The Larne native became the first athlete from Northern Ireland to compete at boccia in the Paralympic Games in 2016 in Rio.
The 30-year-old also competed at the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics, won two gold medals at the 2022 Boccia World Cup in Portugal and later the same year clinched gold at the Boccia World Championships in Rio.
She was awarded for her services to sport with an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours.
"After a lot of soul searching and struggling with my mental health for years, I have made the decision to retire from boccia," she said in a statement, external.
"I used to wake up every day excited to go to training, to work ridiculously hard and to sacrifice everything in the pursuit of medals. I don't feel that way any more.
"I've spent the last nine months working on my mental health, with the support of my parents, medical professionals and close friends. With the right support and therapy, I am starting to feel better than I have in years, with real ambitions and life goals away from a boccia court."