Sprinter Leon Reid, who won a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland, has announced his retirement at the age of 28.

He was handed a suspended sentence and ordered to do 220 hours of unpaid work.

He said his career was a “rollercoaster ride” with “exhilarating highs and gut-wrenching lows”.

“It’s with a heavy heart I bid adieu to the world of athletics and retire from the sport that has given me so much.

“(From) competing for Great Britain and England at a junior level and being a part of their history books to changing allegiances to the gold, white and green of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

“Becoming a national record holder is something I never dreamed of achieving,” added Reid.

A 200m specialist, Reid set his personal best of 20.27 seconds in 2018 – the year he switched international eligibility from Great Britain to Ireland.

After winning his Commonwealth Games medal in April 2018 in Australia, Reid reached the 200m final at the European Championships later that year in his first international appearance for Ireland.

Reid won Northern Ireland’s first athletics medal in 28 years when he claimed an impressive bronze in the 200m at the Gold Coast.

After missing out on selection for the 2019 World Championships, Reid did secure qualification for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 only for the Games to be delayed for a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But four months before the rescheduled Tokyo Games, the sprinter was one of 18 men charged with drugs and firearms offences, all of which he denied.

With his court trial still pending, Reid was allowed to compete at the Tokyo Games, where he reached the 200m semi-finals.

Six months later in February 2022, he was given a suspended sentence and 220 hours of unpaid work for allowing his flat to be used for the production of crack cocaine.

In the summer of 2022, Reid was selected for Northern Ireland’s Commonwealth Games team but the organising committee of the Birmingham Games barred him from competing following a security risk assessment.

He was subsequently named in Ireland’s 4x100m relay squad at last year’s European Championships in Munich but he did not run.

“Through it all, I have learned so much and grown as a person,” Reid posted on social media.

“As I reflect on the last 12 years of my life, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all I have accomplished.

“While I am closing this chapter of my life, I am excited for what is to come. I’m looking forward to embarking on a new journey as a dad and starting new business ventures.

“From being a foster kid to an international professional athlete, my life has been a whirlwind of challenges and triumphs.

“I can’t wait to share my life story and more recent story with the world, both the highs and the lows, and inspire others to chase their dreams relentlessly.”