MILAN (AP) — Luge standout Armin Zoeggeler, the first athlete to medal in the same individual event at six consecutive Olympics, has announced his retirement.

At a news conference on Tuesday, the 40-year-old Zoeggeler says, “My instinct after the (Sochi) Olympics told me that it was the right time to retire, but I wanted to be 100 percent sure.”

Zoeggeler began his Olympic streak by winning bronze in singles at the 1994 Lillehammer Games. Then he took silver in Nagano four years later, gold in Salt Lake City and gold again at his home Turin Games, before concluding his career with bronzes in Vancouver and Sochi.

Zoeggeler also won six golds and 16 medals overall at the world championships

Zoeggeler was Italy’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony in Sochi.

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