SYDNEY, Australia: Seven-time women's world surfing champion Layne Beachley said Friday she will retire at the end of the 2008 season.
The 36-year-old Australian holds the record for most number of women's tour victories with 29.
"This is a bittersweet decision for me as I feel like I feel like I'm surfing the best I have in my whole career," Beachley said. "But the time is right. I'm motivated to find new and challenging ways to achieve different things in my life."
American Kelly Slater, a nine-time world men's champion, praised Beachley.
"Layne is the greatest female surfer of all time," Slater said in a statement. "She has continued to ... shatter records with her surfing style, technical ability and focus. She will be missed in the surfing world."
Beachley made her debut on the world tour at 16 and was ranked No. 6 within four years. She won the first of six consecutive world titles in 1998, and her seventh in 2006.
With 3,036 points, Beachley is third in the 2008 tour standings behind Australia's defending world champion Stephanie Gilmore (3,516) and Peru's Sofia Mulanovich (3,504).
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