Ethiopian world marathon record holder Haile Gebrselassie has announced that his retiring from competition after dropping out of his first New York City marathon on Sunday with an injury.
“I am retiring,” the twice Olympic 10,000 metres champion told a news conference. “It’s time to step away and give chances to the youngsters.”
“I never thought about retirement,” he said. “But for the first time, this is the day. Let me stop and do other work after this.
“Let me do another job. Let me give a chance to the youngsters. I did very hard work to win this race, it didn’t work.”
Gebrselassie, 37, who set 27 world records in his illustrious career, pulled out after the halfway stage. A medical examination on Saturday had revealed fluid and tendinitis in his right knee.
