Haile Gebrselassie considered one of athletics’ greatest runners, said on Sunday he was retiring from competitive running.

The Ethiopian’s long-time manager at first said it was not the end of Gebrselassie’s career, but later issued a statement saying the runner had retired from athletics.

“Running legend Haile Gebrselassie announced his retirement from competitive running at the Great Manchester Run today where he ran his last competitive race,” the statement said.

Gebrselassie was quoted as saying: “I am retiring from competitive running, not from running. You cannot stop running, this is my life. And I am still enjoying my farewell tour like today in Manchester.”

Gebrselassie, 42, said he was retiring from competitive running after finishing 16th in the Great Manchester Run on Sunday.

But it is not the first time he has talked about calling it quits.

Gebrselassie had tearfully retired five years ago after knee problems forced him to drop out of the New York City Marathon. But he returned to racing a few months later.

Gebrselassie won his first of eight indoor and outdoor world championships at Stuttgart in 1993 and went on to hold world records from the 5,000m to the marathon.