"I have recently had to make one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make" - Raydel Gamboa on his gymnastics retirement

Raydel Gamboa has stated that taking the call to retire from gymnastics was the hardest decision he has ever had to make.

Gamboa recently announced his retirement due to medical reasons. He stated that he suffered numerous concussions and that it would be strenuous to continue competing.

He took to social media to share the news with his fans and said that it was the hardest decision of his life. He also expressed gratitude for having had the opportunity to compete as an athlete.

"I have recently had to make one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I have suffered from too many concussions to be able to safely go on with the sport," he said.

"I am so grateful for every opportunity I have been blessed with along my journey and the people that I have been blessed with along the way," he added.

He thanked Mark Williams, the head coach of the University of Oklahoma, and the rest of the coaching staff for helping him accomplish everything that he has.

"I would like to give a special thanks to Mark Williams and the rest of the OU coaching staff for bringing me in on this amazing team and being able to accomplish what I have here at this amazing university," he expressed.

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Who is Raydel Gamboa?

Raydel Gamboa with his teammates Embre Dodanli and Fuzzy Benas

Raydel Gamboa is a former member of the United States of America's gymnastics team. He was an all-round gymnast for the Oklahoma University Men's Gymnastics squad, having joined the Sooners two years ago.

The 2022 season was the highlight of Gamboa's career, during which he was named the All-American in the all-around with a third-place finish, on parallel bars in seventh place, and on high bar with a seventh-place finish.

He finished third on the floor at Winter Cup with a 27.450 score and managed to finish fifth on the Parallel Bars with a score of 28.100.

Gamboa was named CGA (Cincinnati Gymnastic Academy) gymnast. He was also MPSF Gymnast of the Week after a successful meet against the Air Force.

He competed in seven out of eight meets for the Sooners, including in Winter Cup, MPSF Championship, and NCAA Championship. He collected six individual event titles in the season.