Olympic gold medalist Kyla Ross, 19, has retired from Olympic competition, reports NBC San Diego.
Ross, whose father is Japanese American and Black and whose mother in Filipino American and Portuguese, was the only one of the Fierce 5 to maintain her amateur status. She says she’s lost the drive to continue to compete at an Olympic level.
The Hawaii-born Ross made her decision after attending Karolyi Ranch near Houston with the rest of the national team last month.
“I could tell my heart wasn’t fully in it,” Ross said. “I knew after (camp) my time was really up.”
The Fierce Five captivated the world by winning their gold medal at the London games in 2012.
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Ross will be joining fellow Fierce Five teammate Jordyn Wieber at UCLA where she plans to study biomedical engineering.
A growth spurt experienced by Ross may have contributed her decision to leave a sport that favors smaller girls.
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