Rio de Janeiro, Oct 16 (IANS): Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004 gold medal-winning sailor Robert Scheidt has announced his retirement from Olympic competition, ending a career that spanned a quarter of a century.

The 44-year-old said he would continue to participate in non-Olympic events and support Brazil's elite sailors as they prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Games, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The decision to end my Olympic career is one of the most difficult that I've ever had to make," Scheidt told TV Globo. "I've been competing at the highest level for 25 years. I hope to contribute to the sport and that Brazil continues to have a lot of success."

"The amount of training that I would need to do over the next two years would be too much. Two things have always been very important to me -- to enjoy what I do and to be competitive. The moment has come in which I no longer feel competitive."

Scheidt won Olympic gold in the laser class in 1996 and 2004 while also claiming silver at the Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 Games. He claimed bronze in London in 2012 and finished fourth in Rio last year.