Japanese sprinter Koji Ito, holder of the national record at both 100 and 200 meters, said Tuesday he can no longer endure the pain of competition -- giving up on his long-held dream of running under 10 seconds.
"It is regrettable but I've lost my motivation to run because of the grueling practice sessions. I don't think I will be running anymore," the 32-year-old Hyogo Prefecture native said.
Ito posted the Japanese record at 100 meters and became the fastest man in Asia when he hit the finish line in 10.00 seconds flat at the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998.
Ito, who appeared in three consecutive Olympic Games, made it only as far as the semifinals in both individual events at the Sydney Olympics, but helped his team to a sixth-place finish in the 4x100 relay.
He became the women's athletics coach at Konan University last spring but said at the time that he was only taking time off from competition while stressing that he was not retiring.