28 Apr 2006 14:14
Catherine Murphy (Woodford Green with Essex Ladies) has announced her retirement from athletics after a 13-year international career in which she made 24 appearances for Great Britain and Northern Ireland Teams as well as breaking Welsh indoor records.
“After 20 years of training my old body can’t take it any more!” said the 30-year-old, who was born in Sheffield, first sprang to prominence by winning the AAA Under 15 and English Schools 200m titles in 1990.
She went on as a Senior to represent GB at the Olympic Games in 2004; World Championships in 1995, 2001 and 2003; European Championships in 2002; World Indoor Championships in 2001, 2003 and 2004; and European Indoor Championships in 2000.
A law graduate from Brunel University in West London, she improved year on year under the coaching guidance of Ayo Falola. She ran her first Welsh indoor 400m record in 2001 – when she also became the first woman to win AAA Indoor titles at both 200m and 400m – and improved it in both 2002 and 2003. Her adventurous spirit shone through in 2002 when she won the Australian outdoor 400m title in 52.14 seconds, improved it to 52.10 in Chile and then ran a PB of 51.50 in Brazil which she improved to 51.36 in the semi-finals of the Norwich Union European Trials in Manchester that July.
Jeremy Moody, UK Athletics Performance Manager in Wales, will work with Catherine on her exit strategy from the sport and also liase with Welsh Athletics to recognise her service to the sport in the Principality.
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