Outspoken Olympic 800m runner Nick Symmonds said he will retire after the 2017 season.
“2017 will be my last year as a professional track & field athlete,” Symmonds posted on a blog.
The news comes two months after Symmonds said he would try to compete one last season in 2017.
“I really want to make one more worlds team,” Symmonds said in October. “I’ve just got to make sure my ankle holds up.”
Symmonds, who turned 33 last Friday, last raced May 18 and missed the Olympic Trials due to a left ankle injury.
On June 30, Symmonds said after withdrawing before the Olympic Trials that he “could possibly” compete one more year, but the decision would come down to whether Brooks wanted to extend his contract beyond 2016.
“I seriously contemplated retirement,” Symmonds said on his blog published Tuesday. “I advised my coach to drop me from the team, I encouraged him to go find a few younger half-milers to put his energy into. My spirit was broken and I decided to get on with my life.”
The 2013 World Championships silver medalist said he had accomplished all of his running goals except for winning an Olympic medal (he was fifth in 2012) and completing a marathon.
In 2015, Symmonds won his sixth U.S. 800m title but missed the world championships due to a contract dispute with USA Track and Field.
Once he retires, Symmonds has said he wants to climb the tallest mountain on every continent.