New Zealand men’s discus record holder Connor Bell has retired from the sport.
Bell is an Olympian, a two-time world championships finalist and 14-time national senior and age-group champion.
The 25-year-old holds the New Zealand discus record at 69.51 metres. That mark came at a meeting in Ramona, Oklahoma, in April last year and at the time took him into the top 50 all-time for throws.
Bell has told supporters his decision comes amid a shift towards community work and mentorship, involving public speaking and school visits.
“I’ve decided to step away from high-performance athletic competition and end my career as a discus thrower. This decision is the result of deliberate and sustained reflection over the past six months,” he said.
“I am incredibly proud of my journey in athletics and the people I have met along the way, and the sport remains a significant piece of my identity. However, I now view it as a powerful platform for storytelling, education, and mentorship rather than the central focus of my career.”
Bell won the gold medal at the Oceania championships in Queensland in 2022 and a month later finished eighth in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with a best throw of 60.23 metres.
He had narrowly missed out on competing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but three years later he got Olympian status in Paris, where he finished 13th with a best throw of 62.88m.
He also finished 10th at both the 2023 world championships in Budapest and the 2025 worlds in Tokyo.