Sūra, who won the Olympic silver medal in Beijing in 2008, had already given up his participation in the national championship, which is also a qualifying competition for the world championships taking place right here in July.
“I will soon find the words, but my heart and soul are ready for the next stage of my life,” 40-year-old Sura, who has competed in all national championships since 2006, posted on social media on Thursday.
“Jumping gave me more than I could have wanted and allowed me to experience more than I could have dreamed of,” writes the 2013 world champion.
Sura, who overthrew Russian athlete Yelena Isinbayev in London, still holds the world record of 5.02 meters, which was achieved in the 2013 US championship.
Three years later, the athlete jumped to the bar, which was a centimeter higher, but this achievement was not recognized as a record.
In 2016, Sūra also won the title of world champion indoors.
