Argentine veteran cyclist Juan Curuchet said Tuesday that he retires from the Olympics by celebrating the gold medal won at the Madison race at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Curuchet on Tuesday won the gold medal with Walter Perez in the men's Madison race on cycling, after he had competed in six Olympic Games.
In 2004, they won the world championships title in Melbourne, Australia.
Curuchet, 43, made his Olympic debut in the Barcelona Games in 1992 and from there he has competed in all the Olympics.
Curuchet said that "there isn't any thing better" than retire from his profession after having achieved a gold medal.
"I don't know what to say. I have been all my life looking for this. We knew we could get it and we did it. Now I only think about my family, about my sons, about my country," Curuchet said at the end of his race.
"I dreamed to be world champion, then to become Olympic champion. When I was 32, I became world champion and now that I'm 43 I'm Olympic champion. What else do I want? This is the best moment of my life," Curuchet said.
However, Curuchet has plans for some competitions in Argentina so say good-bye to the fans.
Curuchet said that he hopes his victory "to be a message for the all the youth" in Argentina.
One day before traveling to China, Curuchet told his family and friend "I have a very positive feeling."
The madison is a 200-lap, two-man race with 10 sprints every 20 laps.
(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2008)