Kasumi Ishikawa, a three-time Olympic medallist in table tennis, has announced her retirement.

 

Kasumi Ishikawa, a five-time national singles champion and three-time Olympic medalist in women's team table tennis, announced her retirement on Monday.

The Japanese table tennis team that won silver at the London Olympics in 2012, Japan's first Olympic medal, was comprised of the 30-year-old left-hander. The team went on to win bronze in the same competition in Rio de Janeiro, then silver in Tokyo in 2021.

Ishikawa posted on Instagram, "I feel like I've given everything I have and have decided to retire."

The native of Yamaguchi Prefecture placed fourth in the singles competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and she and her countryman Maharu Yoshimura won the mixed doubles crown at the world championships in 2017.

Ishikawa was also the vice-captain of the Japanese team at the Olympics in Tokyo.

She remarked, "I'm glad to have competed at the highest level in the world and helped many dreams come true. "I want to face many more challenges while never losing the spirit that table tennis taught me."