Maelle Ricker, who in 2010 became the first Canadian woman to win Olympic gold on home soil, retired from snowboard cross at age 36, according to Canadian media.
Ricker underwent knee surgery in February and couldn’t come back, according to CBC.
“I’ve got a lot of mixed emotions – emotions that change by the minute,” Ricker said, according to the Canadian Press. “I really had the vision to keep going and keep racing. I’ve come back from injury many times before and this was going to be another routine stop.
“When I got back on snow … a switch flipped inside and I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to get back in the starting gate with the ability I need to race and to really commit 100 percent and be on the podium.