Egypt's pentathlon icon Aya Medany announced on Thursday her retirement after 12 years of success. The 24-year-old is one of Egypt's most high-profile athletes, as she clinched the silver medal in the World Championships in Budapest in 2008 and several gold medals in other global competitions. The five-time African champion made her debut in 2002 when she came second in the Youth World Championship in Budapest, Hungary. One year later she confirmed her talent by winning the gold medal at the Youth World Championship in Mexico, and she kept the gold medal at the 2004 Youth World Championship in Bulgaria. Medany made her Olympic debut in 2004 at Athens at the age of 15. She was the youngest athlete in the Egyptian delegation and the youngest athlete competing in the pentathlon. She ended in 28th place, the best Egyptian performance ever in Penthatlon Olympic history, in male or female categories. In 2008, she finishied in the 8th place in Beijing. At the 2012 Olympics, Medany, who was a medal contender, achieved a frustrating result when she came 12th, but despite that she remains one of Egypt's most high-profile athletes. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/66897.aspx