Sport
Forces Olympic Champ Heather Stanning Announces Retirement
Double Olympic gold medallist Major Heather Stanning has announced her retirement from rowing.
The 31-year-old British Army officer revealed the news at the annual British Army Sports Awards.
Major Stanning, of the Royal Artillery, is also a double World champion, quadruple World Cup champion and double European champion.
Hailing from a forces family, she attended Sandhurst with her brother Martin after finishing university. He joined the Black Watch, while another brother, Alistair, is a Royal Navy doctor.
She was given dispensation by the Army to pursue an Olympic career with Team GB.
Major Stanning and her rowing partner Helen Glover claimed their second Olympic title in the women's pair in Rio this summer, having been unbeaten since 2011.
The pair became the first British female rowers to win an Olympic title when they won their first gold in 2012, but Stanning said at the time that the later victory in Rio eclipsed their London success.
"This means so much more... We have been so emotional this week and it means so much to us."
Glover, meanwhile, added:
"The pressure was immense. London was a home games and there was nothing more special but this is defending a title - it means so much"
Major Stanning was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to rowing, while as recently as September she was awarded the freedom of the Scottish region of Moray.
She'll now look to fresh challenges following the end of her glittering career.
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