OSLO, Norway -- Marit Bjoergen, the most decorated Winter Olympian in history, says she is retiring from cross-country skiing.
The 38-year-old Norwegian told public broadcaster NRK, "I don't have the motivation needed to give 100 percent for another season, and that's why I choose to retire."
She said it wasn't easy to announce the decision because "it's been an era in my life, more than 20 years. So it's [a] special thing to say that this is my last season as a top athlete."
Bjoergen has won 15 Olympic medals, including eight gold. She also has 114 individual wins in 303 World Cup races.
Bjoergen won her first Olympic medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. She also competed and won medals at the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Olympics.