JAKARTA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Triple Asian Games swimming champion and Rio Olympic champion Dmitriy Balandin of Kazakhstan said Wednesday that he is weighing up the possibility of retiring from the sport after the 18th Asian Games.
The 23-year-old is already a national hero in Kazakhstan after he won three gold medals at the last Asian Games in Incheon then went on to capture his country's first Olympic gold medal in swimming with a stunning victory in the 200 meters breaststroke final at Rio in 2016.
But a series of injuries kept to reduce his motivation to continue and now he wants to make a decision on his future after his last race in Jakarta.
"I think maybe I'm going to finish my swimming career. I won everything I wanted in swimming. I just don't find new motivation for swimming," he said.
Balandin said he planned to take a holiday after the Asian Games before deciding whether to commit himself to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but said if he does hang up his goggles he will have no regrets.
"It's great because my country's swimming has taken a new step so many children go to the swimming pool and are swimming now," he said.
