Niaré, who earned her Rio silver medal and world title in the women's under-67 kilograms division, decided that, at 27, pushing on to Tokyo 2020 was a step too far.

The French athlete has not competed at an elite event since the 2019 World Championships in Manchester, where she was knocked out in the round-of-16.

"As I stop striding and stepping on the octagonal area, I remain guided by my positive emotions and the urge to face new challenges," Niaré told World Taekwondo.

"After 10 years of good and loyal service in high-level sport, my devouring desire to live new tournaments has fallen deep into my body's wear."

Niaré was the top seed at Rio 2016 and suffered an agonising 13-12 defeat to South Korea's Oh Hye-ri in the final.

Three years earlier she had secured the world title in Puebla in Mexico.

Niaré is also a former European champion and four-time continental medallist. 

"I am and will remain a champion of emotions," Niaré added in a message announcing her retirement.

"I'll be at the front row cheering on my sisters and brothers in arms for the rest of the Olympic adventure."

Tall, leggy and lithe, Niaré has always shown a charming and bubbly personality alongside her formidable fighting talents.

A native of Mates la Jolie - a suburb of Paris where she is widely recognised for her taekwondo achievements - Niaré stood out within the women's sport because of her unique technique with spin kicks and face kicks.

French coach Medhi Bensafi said: "She is special and spectacular, not a conventional style."

Niaré's most eye-catching technique was a heel hook kick that she unleashes - almost impossibly - from up close.

"I love the 'scorpion kick', in my team that is the name for this kick," she said. 

"When we are in the clinch, when she thinks I can't do anything - then I fire that. But I need to do it fast and if you want to do this kick, you need to be very flexible."

She added: "Mental is most important for the fights, it's all in the spirit.

"The winner is not always the best, the winner is the one with the head game. I think it through round by round, I know what my work is and I don’t panic."

Now, she will be applying her formidable mental talents in a new and broader field of play.