TRIBUTES poured in last night for Paralympian Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson after she announced her retirement from athletics.

Sportsmen and women across the country described the North-East 37-year-old as irreplaceable and an inspiration to all after years at the top of her sport.

Dame Tanni, 37, has won 15 Paralympic medals, including 11 golds, and competed in athletics events from the 100m to long- distance races.

She won the London Marathon six times.

Born in Wales with spina bifida, she became a legend in wheelchair athletics and championed all sporting events, from grass-roots competitions to international contests.

But after years of gruelling training, she has called it a day.

Dame Tanni said she realised in September, when she did not have the drive to train and compete at next year's Beijing Games, that it was time to draw the curtain on her illustrious career.

She said: "I am not going to miss competing.

"There is nothing like competing in front of 110,000 people in Sydney, but there is also nothing quite so scary as that either.

"It does feel strange that at 37 I am retiring, but maybe now I am going to have to go out and get a real job.

"Training ten to 12 times a week, 50 weeks of the year is hard. I wanted to retire before I was injured and now, at this age, everything is starting to hurt."

The politics graduate, who lives in Redcar, east Cleveland, with her husband, Ian, and daughter, Carys, also fills her time by coaching athletes, TV work and public speaking. She is also vice-president of the New Marske Harriers.

However, one of her most important roles now is acting as ambassador for the London 2012 Games.

Last night, people paid tribute to Dame Tanni, who was given the Freedom of Redcar in 2005.

Former Olympic champion and BBC broadcaster Alison Curbishley, who comes from Stockton, said: "My career came and went in between Tanni's still continuing.

"Having her in the region, and even more so for me having her on Teesside, meant a great deal. I have been able to draw on her experiences."

Colin Chaytors, the chief executive of the English Federation of Disability Sport, said no one would be able to fill her role.

"She is irreplaceable," he said.

"It's a great shame, but Tanni has done fantastic and she has also been a great champion."

Redcar MP Vera Baird said she was "an extraordinary figure in world athletics, who has inspired many people in this area to get involved in all forms of sport".

Dame Tanni's final race in a GB vest will be at the Visa Paralympic World Cup in Manchester in May, where she is hoping to go out on a high.

But she hopes the development of disabled sport will show disability in a positive light.

She said: "With the 2012 Olympics, we want to do well on home soil, but, for me, it is not just about 2012, it is about beyond.

"Inclusion is something that is still happening, but we have to push that on governing bodies and in sport."