Beach volleyball: Brazilian Olympic champion Bruno Schmidt to retire

Brazilian beach volleyball player Bruno Schmidt, 36, announced his retirement this Sunday (Jan. 22) during an interview to sports new show Globo Esporte, aired on TV Globo. Olympic champion at the Rio 2016 Games alongside Alison Mamute, the athlete from Espírito Santo state disclosed the reason why he decided to bring an end to his sports career.

“I no longer see myself as a high-performance athlete, playing the way I used to back then. It hurts a lot—it hurts more than defeats, more than pain. I don’t see myself as I was in 2016 anymore. I compare myself to that. The time has come for me,” said Schmidt, twice voted the best player on the world circuit in 2015 and 2016.

The national beach volleyball star said his future has already been mapped out. Schmidt graduated in Law last year and plans to use his free time to study for the bar exam in February.

The Brazilian Volleyball Confederation also paid tribute to the Olympic champion on Instagram, noting that the athlete was informally known as “magician.” “Owner of a skill that makes the ball appear in unlikely places, he enchanted beach volleyball fans all over the planet. His magic reached its height in 2016, in a packed arena in the heart of Copacabana. Alongside Alison, Bruno Schmidt took Brazil to the top of the Olympic podium.”