Back-to-back Olympic all-around champion Uchimura Kohei announces retirement

Japanese superstar gymnast Uchimura Kohei announced his retirement on Tuesday (11 January).

Uchimura did not immediately comment. The announcement was made through his management company.

He will hold a press conference on Friday when he will detail his decision in his own words, the management company said.

Just a week after turning 33, Uchimura ends his illustrious career having won seven Olympic medals, including three golds: back-to-back all-around titles in 2012 and 2016 and team gold in 2016.

Considered by most to be the greatest male gymnast of all time, Uchimura had been hampered by injuries since winning two gold medals at Rio 2016.

Though he competed at last summer's Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games - his fourth Games appearance - he failed to reach the final in the horizontal bar, the only apparatus on which he competed, after slipping off on a pirouetting element.

Two months later, Uchimura finished sixth in the high bar final at the world championships in Kitakyushu, Japan, which would turn out to be his final competition.

"I can’t begin to describe how good it feels to perform in front of a crowd," he said at the time. "This is my birthplace and I could feel their warmth. It felt like they were waiting for me all long. The feeling was like no other."

Uchimura dominated the sport for nearly a decade, winning an unprecedented six straight world all-around titles from 2009-2015, in addition to his two Olympic titles. At the worlds, he collected a total of 21 medals including 10 golds throughout his career.

Taking up gymnastics at the age of three, Uchimura also captured 10 consecutive All Japan all-around titles up until 2017.