Wellington (AFP) - New Zealand's three-time Olympic rowing champion Hamish Bond announced his retirement Thursday, saying he wanted to leave the sport on a high after winning gold in Tokyo last year.
Bond and Eric Murray formed one of the sport's most dominant duos, racking up 69 consecutive wins in the men's coxless pair, including gold at the London and Rio Games.
After Murray's retirement, Bond joined the men's eight, which claimed a shock gold medal in Tokyo.
The 35-year-old said he now wanted to focus on his family.
"It does feel strange saying that I'm retiring, but I feel very fortunate to be walking away while at the top of the sport," said Bond.
"Rowing for the bulk of my career has defined me as a person, I now have my family and other priorities and it feels like the right move to make."
Bond won eight world championships and also switched to cycling for a brief period, claiming bronze in the time trial at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Australia's Gold Coast.
"Hamish is a true Olympic great, and his legacy and place in New Zealand's sporting history is well and truly entrenched," New Zealand Olympic Committee chief executive Kereyn Smith said.
