JONATHAN Edwards' glittering athletics career came to a disappointing end last night when the triple jumper withdrew from the World Championships trailing in 11th place.

The 37-year-old adopted North-Easterner - who shock-ed the athletics world by announcing his retirement on Friday - was in tears as he packed away his spikes after only his second jump.

"I'm a little bit overwhelmed but I've had my time and it was great," he said.

Referring to the ankle injury from which he had made a miraculous recovery so that he could compete in Paris, Edwards said: "My leg was fine tonight, I just had nothing there. Going out after two rounds was the right thing to do because I was not competitive."

Edwards, watched by wife Alison and his family, added: "I said on Friday that I wanted to go out with dignity, not on a stretcher.

"I'm not sure how I feel right now. I've felt strange all day - not sure whether to just enjoy it or try to be competitive."

Although born in Devon, Edwards has made his home in the North-East since arriving at Durham University in 1984 to study physics. After university, he worked as a genetics scientist at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle but decided instead to concentrate on athletics.

Initially, his career was hampered by his refusal to compete on religious grounds on a Sunday.

A member of the Gateshead Harriers club, he leapt to real fame at the 1995 World Championships with an astonishing 18.29 metre record leap in Gothenburg.

Since then, he has won virtually every major triple jumping title and has catapulted his event, which was previously regarded as a cinderella sport, into the headlines.

He now rivals Steve Cram and Brendan Foster as the region's greatest athlete of modern times.

Although Edwards disappointed last night, Britain won her first medal of the championships when Darren Campbell surprisingly collected bronze in the 100 metres.