Arizona Tribune - Former Olympic pole vault champion Surh announces retirement

Suhr, who won Olympic silver in Beijing before capturing gold in London four years later, had already opted out of the national championships, which are the selection meeting for the World Championships at the same Hayward Field venue in July.

"The words will come to me soon but my heart and soul are ready for the next phase of my life," the 40-year-old Suhr, who had competed at every nationals since 2006, posted on social media on Thursday.

"Pole vault unlocked more than I could have wished for and let me experience more than I could have dreamed of."

Suhr, who toppled Russian Yelena Isinbayeva in London, still owns the highest indoor clearance ever of 5.02m, set at the 2013 US championships.

She won the indoor world title in 2016.

G.P.Martin--AT