Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Chang Hye Jin announces retirement

Two-time Olympic gold medallist and Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Chang Hye Jin has officially retired from competitive archery.

The Korean Archery Association hosted a ceremony in celebration of her career and achievements ahead of the national championships, which started today in Ulsan.

“Retirement is now real. I learned the joys and challenges of archery, and I was able to see and experience many things,” said the 35-year-old. “This retirement ceremony is not the end but the beginning of a new road, and I will work hard towards new challenges.”

It’s clear what at least one of those new challenges will be. The former world number one is expecting a baby in October.

Chang Hye Jin’s list of accomplishments includes two world team titles in 2013 and 2017, two Asian Games team titles in 2014 and 2018 and finishing second individually at the world championships.

Her two medals at Rio 2016 marked Korea’s 21st and 22nd Olympic golds in the sport of archery, surpassing short-track speed skating as the country’s most successful Olympic sport.

She was subsequently named top athlete of the year at the 2016 Korean women’s sports awards and famously posed for the cover of Korean Vogue.

Diminutive in stature, Chang will be remembered for her giant personality – and for shooting perhaps the most remarkable 70-metre set ever captured on camera at the Hyundai Archery World Cup stage in Shanghai in 2018, the event that brought her last international win.

Photo and quote courtesy Korean Archery Association.