By Gary Anderson

August 14 - Natascha KellerFive-time Olympian Natascha Keller of Germany has decided to call it a day by announcing her retirement from all forms of hockey following a glittering career which included a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Keller, 36, had retired from international competition following London 2012, where she became the first German hockey player to carry the country's flag at the Opening Ceremony, but continued playing for her club Berliner HC helping them to national outdoor and indoor championship titles in her final season.

Keller's final appearance in London brought to an end an international career which began in 1994 and saw her go on to make a record 389 outdoor appearances and 36 indoor appearances for Germany, bagging an incredible 209 goals in total, 142 of which came in the outdoor-game.

Following her last game in London she said: "I was both laughing and crying and even though I carried on playing in the Bundesliga where Berlin won both the national indoor and outdoor titles, there are so many other beautiful things I want to experience.

"The golf is great fun and I play a lot of tennis - I'm not missing hockey.

"But I'll be around the game and perhaps take up coaching in future.

"Hockey will always be a part of me but for now I'm looking to the future."

Keller in action at London 2012 her fifth and final Olympic GamesNatascha Keller in action at London 2012, her fifth and final Olympic Games



















































As well as her Olympic gold, Keller won two Indoor World Cup titles in 2003 and 2011, the European Championships in 2007 and was named as the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Player of the Year in 1999.

Earlier this year, she became the first of three players to be inducted into the European Hockey Federation (EHF) Hall of Fame alongside double Olympic champion Teun de Nooijer of the Netherlands and Spain's Santi Freixa, a silver-medallist at Beijing 2008.

Keller comes from a long line of German hockey internationals, following in the footsteps of her silver medal-winning grandfather Erwin Keller, who played at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, before her father Carsten Keller went one better on home soil at Munich 1972 winning Olympic gold.

They were followed by further success for Natascha's brothers Andreas, who won hockey gold at Barcelona 1992, and Florian, who claimed gold at Beijing 2008.

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