Olympic champion Linoy Ashram announces retirement
The Israeli rhythmic gymnast, who beat ROC's Averina twins to individual all-around gold at Tokyo 2020 last summer, confirmed her retirement at a press conference held Monday (4 April).
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion Linoy Ashram announced her retirement from the sport on Monday (4 April).
The Israeli star is hanging up her leotard aged 22 after a successful senior career which began in 2015.
Ashram, whose individual all-around victory at last year's Tokyo 2020 Games saw her become the first woman from her country to win Olympic gold, gave a press conference where she will talk about her future plans.
"Today that my business card says Olympic champion, I know it was worth making this journey," she said. "An athlete needs to know when to retire. I have fulfilled my dream. I will continue but on the other side."
On her Olympic title, she added: "If I could cut the medal in two, I would give half to (coach) Ayelet Sussman, because part of it (the victory) is hers."
Ashram added that she would now work within Sussman's coaching team.
Linoy Ashram career highlights
In 2020, Ashram became the first Israeli gymnast to be crowned European individual all-around champion when she won gold in Kyiv, Ukraine.
That victory, which was followed a year later by an apparatus title in the clubs, is one of seven European medals in her collection.
She also has 11 World Championships medals and four European Games medals including two golds.
But Ashram's crowning moment came in Tokyo in the summer of 2021, when she surprised ROC favourites Dina Averina and Arina Averina to clinch the individual all-around title.
In late March, the Israel Olympic Committee released a statement saying Ashram would be retiring with the Israeli Gymnastics Federation reportedly offering her a coaching role.