Norwegian ski jumper Kenneth Gangnes announced yesterday he has decided to retire from the sport after struggling with injuries.

"It's with very mixed feelings that I call it quits. I feel some kind of relief, but at the same time it is difficult to give up my dreams," he said in a statement.

Gangnes, 29, won a team gold and an individual silver in the 2016 ski flying world championships held in Tauplitz/Bad Mitterndorf in Austria, and was third in the overall ski jump World Cup in the 2015-16 season.

A year ago, he suffered a serious knee injury and has not jumped since. It was the fourth time in his career he tore a cruciate ligament.

This autumn he was reported to be on the mend, but then sustained a thigh injury that proved to be the final straw.

He said he was hoping to continue in some capacity in the sport.

"This is very sad news," Norway's head coach Alexander Stoeckl said. "I can just thank Kenneth for all the incredible moments he has given us, not the least his contribution to creating a great atmosphere among the athletes."