There are numerous career paths open to athletes after retirement, with many choosing to enter coaching or punditry.
But no post-retirement career path has been as eclectic as one of Britain’s most successful gymnasts, Louis Smith.
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The Olympic Games returns this summer at Paris 2024 - which will be live on talkSPORT in July - but Smith won't be appearing in a Team GB leotard.
In November 2018, when he was 29 years old, he retired from gymnastics citing 'exciting opportunities' as his reason for stepping back from the sport.
Now 35, Smith has indeed shown his talents in a wide range of pursuits over the past six years.
From the pommel horse to musical theatre to photography, his journey is an intriguing one to follow.
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Olympic stardom
Smith burst onto the scene at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, earning a bronze medal in the pommel horse, his specialist event.
He became the first Briton to take an Olympic medal in gymnastics since 1928.
This was followed up by two medals at London 2012 – a pommel horse silver and team bronze - with his success at the home games earning him an MBE for his services to gymnastics.
Smith rounded off his Olympic medal success with another silver in the pommel horse at Rio 2016, finishing behind compatriot Max Whitlock.
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He was not just successful at the Olympic Games – Smith also earned two Commonwealth Games titles, two European titles and five medals at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Although he officially retired from gymnastics in 2018, Smith began showing interest in other activities earlier on in his career.
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In 2012, shortly after his success at the Olympic Games in London, he appeared on British television show Strictly Come Dancing.
Along with his professional partner Flavia Cacace, Smith won the show after one of the most hotly-contested finals in Strictly history.
It was a very successful stint on reality TV, and it wouldn’t be his last. Smith then participated in The Jump, a show which followed celebrities as they tried to master a range of winter sports. He finished as runner-up on the 2017 edition of the show.
Post-gymnastics life
Smith had originally intended to continue with gymnastics until at least the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but he announced his retirement two years before the Games.
“Recently, with the changes in the qualification criteria, in addition to exciting opportunities that I’ve been presented with as I look to the next stage of my career beyond gymnastics, I had to make the very difficult decision to finally hang up my leotard,” he wrote in a statement.
Smith immediately embarked on a career in musical theatre, appearing in a show called Rip it Up – The 60s at the London Palladium. His castmates included pop stars Harry Judd [McFly], Jay McGuiness [The Wanted] and Aston Merrygold [JLS], who had all also taken part in Strictly Come Dancing.
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The following year, Smith took part in the 1970s adaptation of the show, before getting a part in Bring It On: The Musical towards the end of 2021. The former gymnast also took part in the first ever series of The Masked Dancer in 2021, winning the show.
Alongside singing and dancing, Smith now has a new pastime which he has turned into a career – photography.
Behind the camera
Smith’s main focus at the moment appears to be photography. He even has his own website and Instagram account showcasing his work.
According to the website, it was initially a hobby for the Olympian, but his passion became more serious when he started to be hired by friends and family.
His offerings include portrait, property and landscape photography, as well as wedding photography.
Pricing his offerings based on his 'current level of expertise', hiring Smith as a wedding photographer costs between £700 and £1400.
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“I am eager to showcase the growth and passion that define my evolving photography skills,” Smith wrote on his website. “Embarking on this exciting journey, my goal is to capture the unique essence of your special day, creating timeless memories that will be cherished for a lifetime.”
With his passions taking Smith far away from gymnastics, the Olympic medallist insisted in 2022 that he did not miss the sport.
“I wouldn’t swap that for what I'm doing now and the happiness I have,” he told The Express. “It is a very difficult sport; we don't have off seasons and you train literally all year round.
“If you want to be the best you don't take holiday breaks, you dedicate and you sacrifice and you do what other people aren't. It is a very hard sport and I commend anyone who is able to make it and do very well for themselves in gymnastics.”
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Smith has certainly forged out a fascinating career for himself post gymnastics, as well as proving to be a man of many talents.
The Olympics are on talkSPORT this summer, and you can tune in via our free online streaming service at talkSPORT.com