Shelley Pearson has ruled herself out of the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, because she no longer has the “same joy” for rowing.

Pearson qualified for the multi-sport event at the Pan American Games Qualification Regatta, held at the Lagoa Roderigo de Freitas in Rio de Janeiro last December, finishing fourth out of 17 entries.

The 28-year-old, who lives in New York, working as a management consultant for Ernst & Young, also cited work commitments as another reason to step away from the sport.

“Work commitments played a role, but I also realised I no longer have the same joy and therefore drive out of the sport,” she said.

Pearson became the first Bermudian woman to compete in rowing at both the Olympic Games and Women’s Boat Race, helping Oxford University to 6½-lengths victory over Cambridge on the Thames Tideway in 2015.

She represented Bermuda at the Olympics in Rio in 2016, where she came fourth in the C final in the women’s single sculls.

In 2009, she captured the gold medal in the United States eight at the Junior World Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France.