Wheelchair racer David Weir announced his retirement from Paralympic competition after finishing fifth in the men’s T54 marathon in Paris.

The 45-year-old won six Paralympic gold medals, including four at London 2012, having made his debut aged 17 at Atlanta in 1996.

“It was quite emotional at the end because this will be my last race for GB,” said Weir after posting a time of one hour, 33 minutes and 27 seconds.

“I’ll still do the major marathons, I still enjoy doing them, but it’ll be my last international. My body just couldn’t cope with it today. It’s an age thing, I was the oldest in the field.

“I am still highly competitive and still trying to beat Daniel (Romanchuk, 26-year-old American athlete who finished fourth) who is half my age, I could be his dad! I’m still doing all right. I gave it my all today.”

Cockroft: Weir an absolute hero of the Paralympic movement

Britain’s Hannah Cockroft, who won her ninth Paralympic gold medal earlier this week, paid tribute to her team-mate.

“Dave Weir is an absolute hero of our team and of the whole Paralympic movement,” Cockroft told Sky Sports News. “What he achieved at London 2012 was history making, it was ground-breaking.

“Being able to be a part of that career feels like a real privilege for me.

“It’s a sad day when Dave Weir leaves the sport, but he has his academy, he brings hundreds of children through our sport every single year. He’s brought some fantastic champions to our start line.

“He’ll be missed and I just hope that he knows that he’ll always be a part of our team.

“He’ll always be welcome back because I don’t believe for a single second that David Weir can hang up his gloves and leave just like that, so I don’t think this will be the end but it’s been an absolute privilege to be on his team.”