Jen McIntosh retires because '˜chasing a dream is no longer worth it'

McIntosh won two golds and a bronze for Scotland as a teenager at the 2010 Games and a silver and a bronze in Glasgow four years later.

McIntosh succeeded her mother, Shirley, as Scotland’s most decorated woman in Commonwealth Games history.

She also competed at two Olympic Games and the 2018 Commonwealth Games but missed out on finals.

McIntosh wrote on Twitter: “I cannot quite believe that this day has finally come but it is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement.

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make but was actually taken some time ago and is in no way a reflection on recent performances or results.

“The circumstances surrounding my retirement are perhaps not what I would have chosen, they are what they are and I am confident that I have made the right call.

“I have achieved a huge amount over the last 10 years and I am incredibly proud of all I have accomplished, but I would be lying if I said I had achieved all I ever wanted. I’m not even sure I managed to accomplish all of what I was capable, nor fulfil the potential I believed I had.

“But, over time, circumstances change and we have to reconsider what it is we really want from life and if the cost of chasing a dream is truly worth it. For me the price has become too steep and the rewards no longer high enough to warrant paying it. Hard as it may be, it is time to call it a day.”