Rio Olympian Deborah Tsai has announced her retirement from Synchronised Swimming following a long and successful career in the sport.
The 23 year-old Western Australian – who now resides in Melbourne – announced her decision via an Instagram post where she thanked coaches, support, family and teammates for helping her towards the pinnacle of the sport internationally.
Tsai was a fixture across a number of Australian representative teams and competed at World Championship and Olympic levels for her country.
She said whilst the Tokyo Olympics are just two years away and that she was young enough to continue, the time was right for her.
“I am extremely blessed to have the privilege of retiring on my own terms,” Tsai stated.
“I have achieved everything I ever wanted in sport. Two years post Rio, I’ve moved cities, started a new degree and set myself some new goals out of the sport. And I’m being honest when I say I’m absolutely ready to grab those new opportunities with both hands.”
She leaves a proud legacy for the sport in this state as one of four WA athletes to earn selection for the Australian Synchronised Swimming team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She was joined in Brazil by long-term training partners and friends, Amie Thompson, Danielle Kettlewell and Rose Stackpole.
