Two-time Olympic champion Ryan Held retires from swimming

After two Olympic gold medals, Ryan Held is retiring from aggressive swimming on the age of 30, closing the curtain on a adorned profession.

The American swimmer made the announcement through an instagram post on Tuesday (5 August).

Held performed a key function in Team USA’s males’s 4x100m freestyle relay successes, swimming within the last at Rio 2016 and the prelims at Paris 2024.

“Thank you swimming for the journey of a lifetime!” Held mentioned in an Instagram publish. “I could have never imagined what was in store for me when I started at the Springfield YMCA back in 2001. Nearly a quarter century later I can happily say swimming took me to 6/7 continents, 20+ countries, two Olympics, four World Championships, and most importantly, brought me lifelong friends.”

Held had a stellar school profession the place he grew to become a 25-time All-American and four-time NCAA relay champion

While finest recognized for his relay contributions, Held claimed particular person silver on the 2021 World Short Course Championships within the 50m and 100m freestyle.

Though stepping away from elite competitors, Held plans to proceed competing in Masters occasions and hinted at a playful return in 2028, when Los Angeles hosts the subsequent Olympic Games.

He now works full-time at Goldman Sachs as an operational danger analyst.