One of the most accomplished track athletes to run for the Texas Longhorns will call it quits in the near future, as sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross announced on Instagram Monday that the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will mark the end of her illustrious track and field career:
"After over a decade of indescribable successes and challenges, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio will mark the end of my 12th and final professional season," she wrote in her post.
"After my third foot surgery last November, I worked tirelessly to recoup and recover. I put my blood, sweat and tears into the career of my dreams and experienced profound growth and immeasurable rewards along the way. I am so excited to celebrate with one last lap around the world and I hope you will follow along."
Texas fans will certainly do that as Richards-Ross attempts to add to her collection of four Olympic gold medals.
She won the gold medal in the 400m in the 2012 Olympics and was the No. 1 runner in the world in that event from 2005-2009 and again in 2012. After making her debut on the 4x400m relay team in 2004 with a gold medal, she's helped that relay team win gold medals in each of the last two Olympics, as well.
Of course, just talking about her gold medals understates her accomplishments:
Not too shabby for one of the fastest women on Earth. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/OBjLEVjEQW
— Longhorn Network (@LonghornNetwork) April 25, 2016
In the World Championships, she's medalled five times and won the 400m in 2009, along with a host of other high-profile victories and achievements in international events.
Just as impressive as her many victories is her history of resilience -- as she mentioned in her Instagram post, she's managed to remain one of the best runners in the world despite undergoing three foot surgeries.
A native of Jamaica, Richards-Ross came to the United States during high school and started dating then-Texas cornerback Aaron Ross during her freshman year in 2003. The Longhorns power couple officially tied the knot in 2010.