Olympic biathlon champion Ekaterina Dafovska said that she has decided to end her career.

The secretary-general of the Bulgarian biathlon federation Vassil Sivkov confirmed the information.

The 31-year old Dafovska failed recovering fully after a shoulder surgery that she underwent on June 21 2006. She was expected to renew practice in October.

Because Dafovska’s recovery took longer than expected, she missed rounds of the world cup, the world championship and the European 2007 championship.

According to Bulgarian news agency BTA, Dafovska is the first Bulgarian to become winter Olympics champion. She is also the holder of a European title and two world championship bronze medals.