Champion Australian track cyclist Anna Meares announces her retirement

ANNA Meares, the greatest female track cyclist in history, has announced her retirement from the sport with immediate effect.

Anna Meares. The Australian Olympic team arrive home after competing in the 2016 RIO Olympics to family and friends at The Opera House. Picture: Adam Taylor

CHAMPION Australian cyclist Anna Meares has announced her retirement from the sport with immediate effect.

The news comes amid months of post-Olympic speculation over whether she would give into the lure of a Commonwealth Games swanswong in her home state of Queensland in 2018.

The greatest female track cyclist in history bid a tearful farewell to the crowd at the Rio Olympics in August, and she now bows out of the sport with a staggering six Olympic medals (two gold, one silver and three bronze), 11 world championship gold medals, five Commonwealth gold medals and 35 national titles.

“With some time in reflection I have decided that I am actually going to retire,” Meares said this morning.

“The reason that I took some time to myself after Rio, I wanted to get over some of the emotions attached with the Olympic Games.

“A big factor was if I would ride on to a Commonwealth Games.

“Having looked back and seen what I have achieved and assessed some of the injuries I had going into Rio I feel satisfied and happy to step aside from the sport and try something new and difference.

Bronze medallist Anna Meares of Australia at the Rio 2016b Olympic Games

“I have been able to achieve so many wonderful things, more than most. I am the most successful for women in my sport in the field.

“When I was told that as a 11-year-old when I was pushing off the bike in the streets I probably would have screwed up my nose.”

When asked about a standout moment from her glittering career, Meares said:

“It is hard to go past that gold medal win against Victoria Pendlebury and the high performance program at Cycling Australia to make that win.

Anna Meares celebrates winning gold at the London 2012 Olympics..

“It is (also) hard to go past that silver in Beijing after my accident a few months prior.”

The situation facing Meares post-Rio was almost identical to the one which faced British track cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy after London in 2012.

Not even the lure of racing on the ‘Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome’ in Glasgow at the 2014 Commonwealth Games could convince him to shelve retirement plans and he bowed out at the top of his game.

Meares was hampered by a back injury in the lead up to Rio which was her fourth and final Olympics after getting the absolute best from her body — particularly after breaking her neck in a race crash in 2008.

“Some people aren’t aware that just to get to Rio I had six cortisone injections through my spine,” Meares added.

“I had to change tact for six months leading into it to achieve the things I have. I feel satisfied.”

In Rio, Meares still managed to win Australian cycling’s only individual medal of the Games with bronze in the women’s keirin final.

There is doubt that Meares goes out as a hugely respected and valued member of the Australian team having led the Aussies and carried the flag at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and this year’s Rio Olympics.