For Yona Knight-Wisdom, retirement from diving wasn’t about giving up — it was about listening to a voice he could no longer ignore: the one telling him it was time to choose himself.

In a powerful and deeply personal blog post titled "Why I Retired: The Real Story Behind My Decision to Walk Away," the Jamaican Olympian laid bare the true reasons behind his decision to close a historic chapter after representing Jamaica at three Olympic Games — Rio 2016, Tokyo 2021, and Paris 2024.

"The idea of doing another pre-season made my soul cry," Knight-Wisdom confessed, capturing the emotional exhaustion that had quietly built over more than a decade on the world stage.

Despite reaching the pinnacle of his sport — becoming Jamaica’s first male Olympic diver and earning four international silver medals — Knight-Wisdom revealed that by the time Paris arrived, his body and mind had already given him their answer.

"I was done. My body was cooked. My brain was over it," he admitted.

Years of training, injuries — including a serious knee injury in 2022 — and the relentless pursuit of perfection in a sport that demands it daily, had drained him. Compounding that physical toll was the harsh reality of financial instability.

In 13 seasons, he earned just $8,000 in prize money — a sobering figure that forced him to juggle coaching, public speaking, and other hustles alongside training just to survive.

"Passion is powerful, but it doesn’t pay the rent," he wrote with disarming honesty. "You can love your sport and still choose yourself. That’s not selfish — it’s smart."

Knight-Wisdom also confronted another truth: he had reached the ceiling of what was possible in his career. Despite breaking barriers and making history, the elusive Olympic final and international gold medal remained out of reach. Yet he chose to embrace pride over regret.

"I did significantly more in diving than most people ever thought I would," he reflected. "Three Olympic Games. The first male diver for Jamaica. A World Cup and Pan Am Games silver medal. Not bad for a 6ft-something dude doing a sport made for 5ft-nothing gymnasts."

For Knight-Wisdom, the decision to retire wasn’t a surrender. It was an act of deep self-belief — a courageous choice to step away, not because he was finished as a competitor, but because he knew he had so much more to offer the world outside of diving.

"I didn’t retire because I gave up. I retired because I believe in what comes next," he wrote. "Sometimes, choosing to end one chapter is exactly what makes the next one possible."

Now turning his passion toward performance coaching, keynote speaking, and athlete mentorship, Knight-Wisdom steps boldly into his next chapter — one defined not just by athletic achievement, but by purpose, growth, and the freedom he fought so hard to claim.