Retirement at 20 years old sounds ludicrous, but when you have been an Olympic gymnast like Shawn Johnson and have suffered injuries like she has, sometimes it's time to call it quits on the early side.
On Sunday, Johnson announced her retirement from competitive gymnastics. She injured her left knee in a January 2010 skiing accident, telling the Associated Press that her condition is not getting better and that she was thinking about her long-term health in making this decision.
"My body is to the point where I need time to rest and retire so I can be healthy for the rest of my life. It's hard to wrap my mind around. Gymnastics has been my entire life, and now it's no more," Johnson said.
Johnson won four medals at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing and was considering competing in London, but she has settled on this decision.
According to USA Today, Johnson said last month at the Olympic media summit in Dallas that she plans on going to college and is deciding between Vanderbilt and Stanford.
Thumbnail via Flickr/Bludgeoner86
