The Winter Olympics will see a number of medal winning athletes bring their competitive careers to an end here in Sochi.
This looks set to be the last Games for Russian luger Albert Demchenko, a triple Olympic silver medalist. The 42-year-old athlete won silver in the relay and single luge in Sochi.
Biathlete Sergey Novikov of Belarus, silver medalist at the 2010 Olympic Games, has decided to retire after the individual race in Sochi, citing health issues.
German figure skater Robin Szolkowy, who along with his partner Aliona Savchenko took third place in the Olympic sports pairs tournament, announced his decision to hang up his skates. The German pair have won the World and European Championships more than once, but the Olympic ice has not been so favorable to the duo despite a bronze in Vancouver.
Finally, one of the dramatic twists of the Sochi Games is the retirement of the legendary Russian figure skater Evgeny Plushenko. "I’ve finished my career. Age allows it, but 12 operations - it's too much," confessed the athlete, withdrawing from the competition after his warm-up in the short program.