China's five-time Olympic Games champion diver Wu Minxia retires
She took home a record seven medals, most recently winning the women’s three-metre synchronised springboard in Rio de Janeiro in August
China’s five-time Olympic gold winning diver Wu Minxia tearfully announced her retirement on Thursday, saying her “physical condition” prevented her from continuing in the sport.
Wu took home five golds in four Olympics, most recently winning the women’s three-metre synchronised springboard in Rio de Janeiro in August.
“I am really sorry, but my physical condition does not allow me to continue training,” the 31-year-old said during a live stream on CCTV, China’s national broadcaster.
Earlier this year, she reported on her verified Weibo social media account a leg injury that hindered her training before the Rio Olympic Games, and a fellow diver has described Wu as being easily injured.
“I really feared the coming of today,” she added, crying after she announced her decision.
“I started learning to dive at six, joined the national team at 13, and those 25 years [since] seem like a short span,” Wu wrote on her Weibo account earlier Wednesday.