LONDON (Reuters) - Jessica Ennis-Hill, the 2012 Olympic heptathlon champion and golden girl of British athletics, announced her retirement on Thursday.

"I'm so fortunate to have had such an amazing career within the sport I love and this has been one of the toughest decisions I've had to make. But I know that retiring now is right," she said on Instagram.

"I've always said I want to leave my sport on a high and have no regrets and I can truly say that," added the world champion.

The 30-year-old won silver at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last August.