South African breaststroker Cameron van der Burgh has retired from competitive swimming.
The 30-year-old made the announcement during his post-race press conference on Wednesday, after winning the World Short Course Championship in the men’s 100m breaststroke.
‘It is an amazing flashback to see a long way [back] when I was a still young kid with a lot of dreams,’ he said. ‘It has been amazing to fulfil those dreams, but today is the day I announce my retirement.
‘I couldn’t be more happy with the outcome of my last race tonight. I won the 100m breast gold medal here in Hangzhou tonight and I feel very blessed to be here in this room with my family and coach.’
WATCH: Van der Burgh wins Olympic gold
Van der Burgh had previously said that he would retire after the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but getting married in July and accepting a new job at Andurand Capital Management, a large oil-focused hedge fund based in London, changed his mind.
Van der Burgh won an Olympic silver medal in the 100 breaststroke at the 2016 Olympic Games and a gold medal in the same event in 2012.
.@Cameronvdburgh retires from swimming on top after winning another world title taking his total to 5 gold, 1 Olympic Gold and 9 World Records! More than that he always stayed a true gentlemen and outstanding ambassador for South Africa and the sport of swimming. 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
— Ryk Neethling (@RykNeethling) December 12, 2018
