Kristan Bromley: Former skeleton world champion retires

Kristan Bromley represented Great Britain at four Winter Olympics, finishing fifth in Turin in 2006

Former skeleton world champion Kristan Bromley has announced his retirement after two decades in the sport.

In 2008, Bromley became the first slider to win the World Championships, European Championships and overall World Cup titles in the same season.

The 43-year-old also secured the overall World Cup title in 2004.

"I'm very proud of representing my country at more than 100 World Cup and championship events and four Olympic Games," he said.

Bromley, who also won European Championships gold medals in 2004 and 2005, says the 2008 Triple Crown was the highlight of his 20-year career in the sport,

"Winning the treble didn't sink in at the time but that was the season I was the most proud of," he said.

"It was the first time in the history of the sport that anyone had won all three competitions in the same year and it came at a time when pretty much everybody had written me off."

Bromley's fiancée, Olympic skeleton silver medallist Shelley Rudman, has confirmed that she will not be part of the British programme this season after extending her maternity leave.

As well as securing Great Britain's only medal in the 2006 Olympics in Italy, Rudman, 34, became the first British woman to win the World Championships when she triumphed in St Moritz in 2013.

Rose McGrandle has also announced her retirement from the sport after six years as part of the British Skeleton programme.

McGrandle won the Intercontinental Cup title in 2012 and finished ninth in this year's World Championships in Winterberg.