Injuries force Tasha Danvers to retire

Great British athlete Tasha Danvers has been forced to retire following her failure to qualify for the Olympic Games in London later this year.

The 34-year-old had hoped to be part of the squad as a 400m hurdler.

However, a succession of injuries prevented her from taking part in a number of qualifying events.

"It's extremely disappointing not to be able to put myself into contention for selection for London 2012," she said. "Based on my training at different stages my coach and I believed we had a genuine chance of making it. But the setbacks have been too many to overcome.

"Making the decision to relocate back to the UK meant leaving my seven-year-old son behind in America, which is the hardest thing in the world to do.

"But we genuinely believed I could step onto that podium again and with the support of my family, (coach) Malcolm Arnold, UKA, the medical team and the National Lottery, I've done everything possible to try to achieve that. Sadly my body has had enough."

Danvers won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.