Two-time speed skating Olympic champion Lee Sang-hwa announces retirement

SEOUL, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Olympic champion and world record holder Lee Sang-hwa announced her retirement, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported Friday.

The 30-year-old will hold a ceremony in Seoul on May 16 to end her career, according to the report.

Lee made her international debut at 14 in Canada. As one of the most high-profile South Korean athletes, she took 500m gold in 2010 and 2014 winter Olympics.

She also lowered the world record four times, bringing it to 36.36 seconds in Salt Lake City in 2013.

At PyeongChang 2018, Lee stood second behind Japan's Nao Kodaira. Since then, she has not competed.