OLYMPIC HERO Alex Danson has retired from hockey because of a “life-changing” head injury.
Team GB’s Rio 2016 Olympic champion accidentally hit her head on a concrete wall on holiday in Kenya in 2018 and suffered long-term concussion.
Danson had hoped to make the Tokyo 2020 Olympics squad but now feels the “risk is too high” to play again.
The 34-year-old, who won 306 total caps for England and Great Britain, said: “After a long 18 months but a fabulous 18 years in the sport, it’s the right time for me to retire.
“It’s been the most incredible journey I could have asked for, but a lot has changed.
“My head injury has been life-changing, also in terms of my perspective and things that have happened within my family.
“Throughout my career I’ve been 100% immersed in being an athlete, but my priorities are different now. All of that means it's the right time.
“I’ve known over the last couple of weeks that it was a decision I needed to come to.
“It’s difficult because this has been my life.
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“It’ll be strange moving into something new, but I’m totally thankful and content. I have zero regrets about the way I’ve lived my career.
“This is not a sad retirement. I have played more games in more tournaments than I could ever have dreamt of.
“I have made lifelong friends, travelled the world and loved every single minute of my career.”
Forward Danson-Bennett was part of the Great Britain team that won gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
She also won bronze at the London 2012 Olympics
She won 306 total caps for England and Great Britain and scored a joint-record 115 goals combined, level with Marjorie Pollard.
GB Hockey performance director Ed Barney said: "She has been an inspirational figure to all those who have worked with her, to those who have had the fortune to play with her and to many who have watched her exhilarating performances.
"Alex is a truly special person. It is impossible to find the right words to reflect how fortunate we have been to have Alex as part of our sport. We will miss her hugely both on and off the pitch."
Danson-Bennett's triathlete sister Claire was paralysed from the waist down after a horrific accident with a tractor when riding her bike in August last year.
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