Olympic gymnastics champions Yang Hak-seon retires

Korean gymnast Yang Hak-seon celebrates after winning the men's vault gold medal at the London Olympics at the North Greenwich Arena in London, Aug. 6, 2012. Korea Times file

Yang Hak-seon, who became the first Korean gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal 13 years ago, has announced his retirement at age 32.

Yang made his final competitive appearance at the National Sports Festival in Busan, some 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Saturday. Yang grabbed a bronze medal in the men's vault with his wife and their son watching.

Yang soared to the men's vault gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics at age 19, bringing Korea its first Olympic gold. Yang also won the world titles in 2011 and 2013.

Yang's namesake vault, a triple-twisting handspring front somersault, is considered one of the most difficult moves in the discipline.

Yang struggled with injuries in the latter part of his career, dealing with hamstring problems and later an Achilles' tendon injury.

"I'd like to thank all the fans and people in the gymnastics community who've supported me over the years," Yang said. "My career may have ended but I will continue to work hard for the development of gymnastics in Korea."