WOODFORD Green with Essex Ladies' Catherine Murphy has announced her retirement from athletics after a 13-year international career.

The 30-year-old made 24 appearances for Great Britain and Northern Ireland teams as well as breaking Welsh indoor records at 400m.

"After 20 years of training my old body can't take it any more," said the former AAA Under-15 and English Schools 200m title holder.

The highlights of Murphy's career came when she represented GB at the Olympic Games in 2004, World Championships in 1995, 2001 and 2003, European Championships in 2002, World Indoor Championships in 2001, 2003 and 2004, and European Indoor Championships in 2000.

She ran her first Welsh indoor 400m record in 2001 when she also became the first woman to win AAA Indoor titles at both 200m and 400m and improved it in both 2002 and 2003. Her adventurous spirit shone through in 2002 when she won the Australian Outdoor 400m title in 52.14 secs, improved it to 52.10 in Chile and then ran a PB of 51.50 in Brazil which she improved to 51.36 in the semi-finals of the Norwich Union European Trials in Manchester that July.