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Finlay Mickel, one of Britain's most successful downhill skiers, has announced his retirement.

The 31-year-old Scot has raced on the World Cup circuit since 2000 with his best result 10th place in the Wengen downhill in 2006.

He finished 11th at the World Championships in Bormio a year earlier - the best result by a British man in the history of the World Championships - but has struggled with injuries for the past two seasons.

"It is a happy and a sad day for me. I can look back on a very illustrious career and put myself in a small group of British skiers who have made it into the top 10 in World Cup competitions - joining legends such as Konrad Bartelski and the Bell brothers," said Mickel.

"Coming back to racing this year and knowing the commitment required to get back to top-flight racing and the risks you have to take to do it - I don't feel I can justify that anymore, especially now I have my two year-old son Jenson to consider."

Mickel finished his career on a high by winning the downhill title at the British Championships for the sixth time and now hopes to move into coaching.

"I would like to step into coaching and also become more involved with commentary, something I have found comes naturally to me from the experience I've already had," Mickel added.

Eurosport