Judoka Ayumi Tanimoto announced her retirement on Tuesday, saying her Olympic feats in Athens and Beijing have allowed her to walk away from the sport filled with a deep sense of accomplishment.
Tanimoto successfully defended her title in the women's 63-kg class at the Beijing Games two years ago, winning all of her matches by ippon for the second Olympics in a row.
"Winning all of my matches by ippon for two straight Olympics is a result that gave me a deep sense of accomplishment," Tanimoto, 29, told a news conference.
"But it took some time for me to decide in calling it a day."
She picked her victory over France's Lucie Decosse in the Beijing final as the most memorable match of her career.
The Aichi Prefecture native, who was known for her trademark "seoinage" shoulder throws, has struggled with injuries to her lower back and knees in recent years and was sidelined after undergoing right-knee surgery in April last year.
Tanimoto will now focus her efforts on coaching at her Komatsu club.