Olympic champion sustained freak injury in 2018‘It’s been the most incredible journey but my life has changed’The
British Olympic gold medallist Alex Danson has retired because of long-term concussion. Danson, 34, won gold for Great
Britain at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Two years later, in September 2018, she suffered a freak head injury that caused mild brain trauma and meant she could not cope with bright light or noise for more than nine months.
She was on holiday with her boyfriend, now husband, and threw back her head and laughed when he told her a joke. She hit her head against a brick wall and the damage became evident as the days, weeks and months passed. Despite hoping to return, the British captain has called time on her career having last played in August 2018.