Olympic gold medalist Townley Haas has announced his retirement from swimming.
He made the announcement on social media on Saturday night.
Here is Townley Haas’ post:
After some time off and lots of thinking, I’ve decided it’s time to retire from swimming. This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make but I believe that it’s the right one.
Thank you to Geoff Brown and the entire @nova_of_va staff for not only helping craft me into the swimmer I am but continuing to support me through my college and professional career.
Thank you to Texas and @texasmsd for allowing me to continue my passion for swimming both in college and as a place to train as a professional. Special thanks to Eddie, Kris, @wyatt.collins , @paddymcc90 and all the Texas coaches past and present for all your support and help!Townley Haas continued:
Thank you to @usaswimming for every opportunity you have provided me. Through swimming I’ve been able to travel to so many incredible places and meet so many incredible people!
Thank you to @iswimleague and @calicondors_isl for creating a new and amazing opportunity for swimmers and thank you @jason.lezak for letting me apart of it!
Thank you to my friends, family and fiancé @megan_meseck for the countless hours of cheering, traveling, early mornings and late nights. I truly could not do it without you guys!
Lastly, I want to thank my fans and everyone out there who has supported me in any way! It meant the world to meI love every single one of you and I cannot wait to see where this new chapter of my life takes me❤️ — Townley Haas
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Townley Haas made the U.S. Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro and in Tokyo, winning a relay gold medal in Rio (800 free). He also finished fifth in the 200 freestyle in Rio.
Haas also won multiple NCAA championships, leading the University of Texas to a four-peat in team titles.