Matty Lee, a gold medalist at the Olympics, has announced his retirement from diving.
The 26-year-old won gold in the men’s synchronised 10m platform at Tokyo 2020 alongside British team-mate Tom Daley.
He had spine surgery earlier in 2024 and was unable to attend the Games in Paris last summer.
“After 20 years in the sport, it’s time for me to step away from diving”, Lee said on Instagram on Thursday.
“This decision hasn’t been easy, but after losing my dad in 2022, I struggled to find the same passion I once had, he was my why.
” Then came injuries, surgeries, and the realization that I don’t want to be a broken man moving forward. “
In recent years, Lee and Noah Williams have won silver medals at the Commonwealth Games and the World Aquatics Championships.
With Daley, who retired from the sport in August, Lee claimed World Cup and European gold in 2021, as well as a bronze at the 2019 World Championships.
” Diving has given me the world, literally. The people I’ve met, the places I’ve travelled, the memories I’ve made. That’s what I’ll cherish the most, “he added.
Leeds-born Lee thanked his family and coaching team while he also paid tribute to Daley, adding:” What a journey, what a moment we shared. Olympic champions forever. “
Lee made his World Championship debut later that year after winning individual gold at the European Games at the age of 17 in 2015.
Alongside Lois Toulson in the mixed synchronised 10m platform, he picked up silver medals at both the 2017 World Championships and 2018 European Championships.
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Source: BBC
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