Japan's long-time backstroke king Ryosuke Irie, who won three Olympic medals in 2012, announced his retirement Wednesday at the age of 34.At last month's selection trials, the swimmer from Osaka Prefecture fell short in his bid to qualify for his fifth consecutive Olympics, where he'd hoped to wrap up his career."I'm truly happy to have had a long competitive career," Irie told a press conference in Tokyo, his voice breaking with emotion. "I wanted to retire in Paris."Two-time double Olympic breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima made a surprise appearance at the press conference to congratu…READ FULL ARTICLE
