Very few athletes get the fairytale ending to leave their sport at the top. For every Steve Redgrave (who retired after a fifth straight Olympic rowing gold medal at Sydney 2000), Mark Spitz (who followed a then-record seven Olympic golds at Munich 1972 by hanging up his swimming goggles) or Rocky Marciano (bowing out as heavyweight boxing champion of the world in 1955 with a perfect 49-0 record), there are thousands of greats who step away after one final moment of heartbreak and disappointment.
It might not diminish their legacies but it’s not the satisfying finale that Hollywood would have us believe is the norm.
