Jeremy Wariner, the 2004 Olympic 400m champion, has retired at age 33, according to Sports Illustrated.
The 2016 Olympic Trials were then considered the last gasp for Wariner, who won gold after his sophomore year at Baylor but struggled with injuries the last several years.
He cramped up in the Trials semifinals to miss the Rio team. Wariner raced twice in small meets this year before hanging it up.
Wariner goes out as the fourth-fastest 400m man all time with a personal best of 43.45 seconds. He last broke 45 in April 2012.
Wariner last raced at the Olympics in 2008 and worlds in 2009, taking silver behind rival LaShawn Merritt at both meets.
“Because of these injuries, toward the end of my career, running became a routine and it wasn’t fun anymore,” Wariner said, according to the report. “I knew deep down that I still had it, but I was just doing so much to try and stay healthy that I was fatiguing. My body just wasn’t recovering. That’s when I knew the 44s and 43s were long gone.”
Wariner, known for his slender build and trademark shades, is now focused on his Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches franchise in Dallas.
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