Justin Kripps is a two-time Olympic medallist ©Getty Images

Olympic gold medallist Justin Kripps is retiring from bobsleigh following a 16-year career which also included an overall World Cup title.

The 35-year-old's crowning achievement was a two-man gold medal won with Alex Kopacz at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics.

Canadians Kripps and Kopacz shared the title with Germany's Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis after recording exactly the same time across four runs.

At Beijing 2022, Kripps piloted Canada's four-man sled to a bronze medal. 

Two of his push athletes at the last Winter Olympics - Cam Stones and Ryan Sommer - have also announced their retirements.

Kripps wrote on Instagram that he had had "16 years of living my dream, wearing the maple leaf proudly while representing this great country all over the world. 

"It's been my greatest challenge and the most rewarding adventure of my life. 

"I pushed myself further than I thought possible and learned who I was in the process. 

"I wouldn't change even the worst day or the hardest struggle I had because my greatest moments seemed to arrive right after the most difficult times."

Kripps went on to thank his family, team-mates, coaches "and everyone who’s helped me along the way".

In addition to the Olympic medals, Kripps won two-man silver medals in the 2017 and 2019 World Championships at Whistler and Königssee.

Canada and Germany shared the two-man bobsleigh gold medal at Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics ©Getty Images
Canada and Germany shared the two-man bobsleigh gold medal at Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics ©Getty Images

Kripps further won four-man bronze at the World Championships on home ice in 2019 and helped Canada win mixed team bronze medals at the Lake Placid 2012 and Winterberg 2015 World Championships.

The Hawaii-born pilot's best World Cup result was ending the 2017-2018 season with the two-man crystal globe.

Kripps' retirement comes with many current and former athletes at odds with Bobsleigh Skeleton Canada (BCS) and demanding its leaders resign, accusing them of overseeing a "toxic" culture.

Kripps said in March that "none of us can move forward unless there is change at the top" of BCS.

"I can only speak to my own experience, and while I haven't felt unsafe or mistreated, I'm aware that is not the case for many," Kripps wrote on Instagram. 

"Winning an Olympic medal shouldn't be a pre-requisite to being treated with respect and it breaks my heart to hear the stories coming to light."