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Middle-distance great Wilson Kipketer has officially announced his retirement from competitive athletics.
The 34-year-old still holds the world record at 800m, having broken Sebastian Coe's long-standing mark in 1997 in a time of one minute 41.11 seconds.
"I made my decision after Athens," Kipketer told the IAAF website. "I had only one ambition: to win Olympic gold.
"After my bronze at the Athens Games it is clear my goal will not be achieved. I am not fighting on until Beijing."
The Kenyan-born athlete, who switched nationality to Denmark, had originally planned to retire after the 2006 European Championships in Sweden.
But he has not raced on the circuit this season and has already turned his thoughts to life off the track.
"What I will miss is the way I felt when running 800m," Kipketer said.
"The way I felt when controlling the race, the feeling of leading a race, the atmosphere - this is what I am going to miss."
Kipketer won world titles in 1995, 1997 and 1999, Olympic silver in 2000, bronze at the 2004 Games and claimed the European crown in 2002.
The 34-year-old still holds the world record at 800m, having broken Sebastian Coe's long-standing mark in 1997 in a time of one minute 41.11 seconds.
"I made my decision after Athens," Kipketer told the IAAF website. "I had only one ambition: to win Olympic gold.
"After my bronze at the Athens Games it is clear my goal will not be achieved. I am not fighting on until Beijing."
The Kenyan-born athlete, who switched nationality to Denmark, had originally planned to retire after the 2006 European Championships in Sweden.
But he has not raced on the circuit this season and has already turned his thoughts to life off the track.
"What I will miss is the way I felt when running 800m," Kipketer said.
"The way I felt when controlling the race, the feeling of leading a race, the atmosphere - this is what I am going to miss."
Kipketer won world titles in 1995, 1997 and 1999, Olympic silver in 2000, bronze at the 2004 Games and claimed the European crown in 2002.
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