Great Britain's Matty Lee has announced his retirement from diving at the age of 26, revealing that he struggled to find the motivation to continue due to injuries and grief.
Lee memorably paired up with Tom Daley to take home the men's 10m synchro gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, but injury denied him the chance to defend his title in Paris.
The 26-year-old had to go under the knife in March to address a spinal problem, ruling him out of the 2024 Games as Daley and new partner Noah Williams placed second behind China.
In the wake of missing out on the Paris Olympics, Lee took to Instagram on Thursday to confirm that he had dove for the final time and cited both injuries and the death of his father as his main factors in his retirement.
"After 20 years in the sport, it's time for me to step away from diving," Lee wrote. "This decision hasn't been easy, but after losing my dad in 2022, I struggled to find the same passion I once had, he was my why.
"Then came injuries, surgeries, and the realization that I don't want to be a broken man moving forward. What's next? Honestly, I don't know. And that's both terrifying and exciting. But I do know this. there's more to life than diving, and I'm ready for it. ❤️."
A breakdown of Matty Lee's diving career achievements
While standing on the Olympics podium with Daley was no doubt the pinnacle of Lee's diving career, the British star achieved continental and international fame without the Games gold around his neck.
The 26-year-old also joined forces with Williams to win 10m synchro gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, in addition to taking home an individual bronze behind Canada's Rylan Wiens and Australia's Cassiel Rousseau.
That same year, Williams posted his best-ever World Championship result as he and Williams won silver in the 10m synchro event in Budapest, five years after finishing as runner-up in the mixed event alongside Lois Toulson.
A two-time European champion, Lee and Daley won the 10m synchro event at the 2020 continental championships in the Hungarian capital, and the former and Toulson clinched the mixed 10m synchro gold during the 2017 Europeans.
The majority of Lee's successes came in synchro events, but in addition to his 2022 Commonwealth individual bronze, he finished third in the 10m platform at the 2017 Europeans and was the champion of the event at the 2015 European Games as a 17-year-old.
Lee's retirement comes six months after Daley also announced his departure from the sport immediately following the 2024 Paris Games. body check tags ::
