Norway's Tiril Eckhoff (32), a double Olympic biathlon mixed relay champion and three-time individual world champion, has announced her retirement, the Norwegian Ski Federation said on Wednesday.
She won 23 medals at Winter Olympics and World Championships during her career, 12 of them gold.
"Biathlon has been my life almost for along as I can remember and it's weird to envision a life without it," Eckhoff said in a statement.
"The last year, I have been somewhat on the sidelines, so it feels like a natural transition to the decision I have now made that I will retire. It's weird and a little sad - but also really lovely in a way," she added.