Dani Stevens retires: Little Athletics, junior sport to world discus title, Olympic Games in photos

She was the little girl from Sydney’s west who grew up to conquer the world. Now this athletics great has called its quits after inspiring a generation of young track and field athletes.

She was the former Little Athletics star who grew up to conquer the world and become a giant in the athletics arena.

The youngster from Merrylands - who could have played basketball for Australia - who became the youngest world champion in discus.

After a stellar career stretching across four Olympic Games and multiple world championships and Commonwealth Games, Dani Stevens, a former NewsLocal Junior Sports Star, has opted out of her sport, confirming her retirement on Sunday.

Dani Stevens, nee Samuels in the discus finals at the world athletics championships in Beijing in 2015.

She does so with an extraordinary haul of medals and titles - including her 2009 world discus crown, a world junior title, three Commonwealth Games medals and an astounding 14 Australian titles.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I am really content and happy with everything that I’ve achieved in my athletics career and feel that now is the right time to step away,” Stevens said.

“As an athlete, it’s often easy to underestimate the work that goes into that commitment physically and mentally.

“I’ve had my blinkers on for more than a decade so when I came to that decision to retire, I felt weight lift off my shoulders and I realised that I’m ready for a new chapter, new experiences and a new phase of life.”

Dani Samuels and Katherine Lee as juniors in 1998.

She was also a talented basketballer.

Samuels, 33, is also one of only nine athletes to win the world championships at the youth, junior and senior level of an athletic event.

She leaves the sport with PB’s in discus and shot put of 69.64m and 17.05m respectively.

Stevens, who endured spinal surgery to prolong her career. said she has a lifetime of wonderful memories starting with her time at Greystanes Little Athletics.

“When I think of my life, I think about how athletics is linked to everything in some way. My earliest memories are of my mum, my dad and sister going to Little Athletics on a Friday night and Saturday morning,” said Samuels who attended the Westfield Sports High School at Fairfield as a basketballer before switching to athletics with coach Denis Knowles.

Dani Samuels did both discus and shot put as a junior.

“In primary school, I made the under 13 team for nationals where I met my best friends.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but my husband (former Australian representative shot putter Joe Stevens) was on the Queensland team.

“It’s hard to pick a favourite moment in my career. Winning my world title was an incredible feeling but there are ones where I didn’t win but the feeling was just the same.

“I think about achieving PBs on the world stage and it was that elicited joy, that feeling of happiness, that I can’t explain.

Stevens, who lost her father Mark in a cycling accident in 2004 as he trained for the Australian ironman triathlon, paid tribute to her family, friends and coach Knowles.

From a junior athletics star to world stage. What a ride!

“I’ve always said that any medal I won, I wish I could break into 10 different pieces and hand them out to the people around me. That inner circle of mine has sacrificed so much and they are the result of what we set out to achieve as a team,” she said.

“Denis (Knowles) is one of my best friends. He brought out my passion, my dedication and my motivation and allowed me to reach my potential.

“It is so special to have met Denis when I was so young and have him by my side throughout my career.

“He has sacrificed as much as I have, if not more when it comes to time away from family and all that goes along with it. Denis has been there for me at all times, through the highs and lows of not just athletics but of my life. We are closer than most athlete and coaches and I believe that’s why we have been so successful.”

Read more from AMANDA LULHAM HERE