800-metre star Gary Reed announces retirement

Monday, December 13, 2010

OTTAWA - Two-time Olympian and 2007 World championship silver medallist Gary Reed officially announced his retirement from competition this morning at a press conference in downtown Toronto.  With his mother Mary, wife Caitlin and coach Wynn Gmitroski in attendance, Gary said that following a gruelling eight year international career spanning two Olympic Games and five World Championships he just didn’t have the necessary drive to get on the podium in London 2012.

“My goal has always been fairly simple – to be the best in the world at what I do and medal at the Olympics and World Championships.  I woke up every single day for the last 15 years and dedicated 100% of myself to this while trusting my coach, Wynn Gmitroski, and earlier on, Derek Evely.”  Reed adds, “From the beginning I’ve always known that I wanted to be able to walk off the track and have zero regrets - to be able to retire from the sport and not let the sport retire me. I wanted to have that feeling that I had poured everything I had into track and field, and that there was nothing left to give. I have reached this point.”