Judoka Masae Ueno, the women's 70-kg gold medalist at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, announced her retirement from competition Monday.
Ueno, 30, also a two-time world champion, said she lost motivation to continue her career after winning her second straight Olympic gold in Beijing last August, although she did not rule out the possibility of making a temporary comeback in the future.
"I thought about competing in the national championship (next April) for my next goal, but I couldn't recover the vigor I lost after the Olympics," Ueno said. "I just want to take a rest from being on top and I think I'd be able to come back if I want to in a few years."