Athens winner Ulmer quits cycling

Ulmer's career has been cut short

New Zealand's Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ulmer has retired from cycling due to a chronic sciatic nerve injury.

Ulmer, 31, set a world record in the women's 3000m individual pursuit at the 2004 World Track Championships.

Three months later, she improved her own mark as she took gold in Athens. In 2005, she switched to road racing but then suffered her leg injury.

"It's been a pretty frustrating year," she admitted. "I've been toying with retirement for a while."

Ulmer was second in the pursuit at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and finished seventh at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

She won gold medals at Commonwealth Games in 1998 and 2002 and was fourth at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.