Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold insists that while it is a hard decision to take a 12-month break from skeleton, it is the right one.
Yarnold has been almost unbeatable over the past two years as she has racked up Olympic, World, European and overall World Cup gold medals.
However, these have come at a cost with the 26-year-old admitting that she has been left exhausted both mentally and physically.
This means she will miss the 2015-16 World Cup season but Yarnold – who will marry in May – is determined to secure more history upon her return as she eyes up becoming the first athlete in history to successfully defend and Olympic skeleton title at Pyeongchang 2018.
"Coming off the back of my win in Sochi it was hard to re-motivate myself, but I had the Grand Slam in my sights and wanted so desperately to be World Champion that it saw me through," said Yarnold.
"It wasn't until I returned home that I realised I was emotionally fatigued - more than the usual end-of-season exhaustion.
"It will be hard to watch others compete without me but I really feel like this is the right time for me to refresh, take stock and come back even more motivated for the future.”
© Sportsbeat 2015