Olympic medalist Sarah Hammer retires


America’s most successful track cyclist Sarah Hammer has retired from professional racing. The 34-year-old has four Olympic silver medals to her credit, as well as eight world championship titles on the track dating back to 2006.

“I’m really excited to continue my journey of promoting track cycling and women’s cycling in my new role. My primary focus will be to share and implement my knowledge with incoming athletes and coaches so they don’t have to learn it all on their own,” said Hammer, who will become director of coaching at Performance United, a training facility in Colorado Springs.

She earned her final world championships medal in Hong Kong, April 2017, a silver in the points race. That upped her tally to 15 career medals in UCI World Track Championships.

In her final Olympic appearance, Rio 2016, she rode with the team pursuit squad to claim silver behind Great Britain. She also won silver in the omnium.

“Sarah has had one of the most remarkable careers in Olympic sport. Her achievements are astounding and without a doubt place her among the greatest American cyclists of all time,” said Derek Bouchard-Hall, CEO and president of USA Cycling.

“In terms of results, I am probably most proud of the 2012 Olympic team pursuit medal I won with Jennie Reed, Dotsie Bausch, and Lauren Tamayo,” Hammer addd. “That journey was a special one and is one I will remember for the rest of my life.”

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