Olympian Chris O’Hare Retires from Athletics at 31

O’Hare Retires from Athletics

Chris O’Hare, a Scottish middle-distance runner who competes in the 1500 meters confirmed his retires from athletics at the age of 31, just short of two years after his last competitive outing.
O’Hare announced his exit from athletics on Monday through his Instagram account following the hip operation he underwent in late 2020.
“Retiring is never an easy decision for an athlete to make, but I am relieved to say that, although I will miss everything about training and racing, I am happy to be a retired athlete,” said O’Hare.
“Running has blessed me with so many opportunities and so many wonderful lifelong friendships.
“I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I did without the unwavering support of so many people committed to making my dreams a reality”.

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He thanked everyone his parents and siblings having supported him all through his Athletics career.
“Thank you to my amazing parents and siblings, who sacrificed so much since I was 12 to give me every opportunity to succeed. “Thank you to my perfect wife, who has always supported my dream and who never failed to step up and parent alone when I was away racing or on training camps for months at a time. “Thank you to my coaches throughout the years – Terrence Mahon, Steve Gulley, Dave Campbell, and Charlie Russell – for always steering me in the right direction and giving your all to my development as an athlete and as a man.  “Thank you to my children – Ronan, Riley, and Quinn – for being the best source of motivation an athlete could ever ask for, and for cuddles on the couch when I needed them most.

“Finally, thank you to all those who have supported me from afar, with kind messages when I won and, more importantly, messages of support when I didn’t.”
West Linton’s O’Hare has two 12-placed finishes in world championship finals to his name, as well as 1,500m bronze medals from the 2014 European Athletics Championships in Switzerland and the indoor version in the Czech Republic the year after.
He’s also notched up 25 sub-four-minute miles, eight more than any other Scot

O’Hare was first recruited by the University of Tulsa, where he specialized in the 800 m, 1500 m, and mile events. At the 2011 NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships, O’Hare was runner-up in the men’s mile behind Miles Batty from BYU.

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O’Hare won the Mile at the NCAA Men’s Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships 2012 with a time of 4:01.66.
O’Hare was selected for the 1500 m at the 2013 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow after he became the first Scottish athlete in over 35 years to top the UK rankings at the distance. At the Worlds he qualified for the final, where he finished 12th, becoming the first British athlete to qualify for the 1500 m final for six years.
O’Hare competed in the 1500 meters event at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships. O’Hare ran in the 1500 m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he finished sixth.

O’Hare ran in the 2014 European Athletics Championships – Men’s 1500 meters where he earned a bronze medal and finished third.
O’Hare competed in the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men’s 1500 meters where he earned a bronze medal and finished third.
He was selected to compete in the 1500 meters event at the 2016 Olympic Games. He progressed from the heats, but having come eleventh in his semi-final he didn’t reach the final.