Athletics: Queen Bea retires

Beatrice Faumuina. Photo / Getty Images

Former world champion discus thrower Beatrice Faumuina's 16-year career in international athletics is over.

Faumuina was last month appointed as chief executive of the Best Pasifika Leadership Academy, aimed at finding and mentoring Pasifika business leaders.

She said at the time that growing the number of Pasifika people in leadership positions in New Zealand businesses and community organisations was vital.

"We need to lead our own people to be the solution to our own problems. We need to train and mentor Pasifika to be top leaders."

Faumuina's international athletics career began in 1994, but she truly hit headlines in 1997 when she became New Zealand's first track and field world champion, the year she produced her personal best throw of 68.52m,

Aucklander Ross Dallow, who took over as Faumuina's coach nearly three years ago, today described her decision as a "pragmatic" one.

"She has to earn a living, she has to make a future for herself. She's doing a business management degree, and it's impossible these days to operate at Olympic or Commonwealth level unless you're in a position to put in the long, hard hours," he told NZPA.

"Beatrice has faced up to reality -- the next big one is the London Olympics in 2012 and that would require a mammoth effort on her part. So she's decided to make the pragmatic decision."

Faumuina contested five Commonwealth Games and collected three medals, beginning with a silver at 1994 Victoria Games and including golds at Kuala Lumpur (1998) and Manchester (220).

She finished fifth at the New Delhi Games in October this year.

Faumuina competed at four Olympics, her best placing coming at the 2004 Athens Games when, after being named New Zealand flagbearer, she finished seventh.

Faumuina's Olympic career ended in some controversy at the 2008 Beijing Games, where she finished 28th out of 38, with a dismal 57.15m.

She consequently launched a broadside at the news media for undermining her Olympic experience.

- NZPA