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Australian rowing great Duncan Free has retired from the sport after succumbing to a tough battle with injuries.

Australian rowing great Duncan Free has announced his retirement from the sport.

A gold medallist in the men's pair with Drew Ginn at the Beijing Olympics, four-time Olympian Free made the tough call to retire on Sunday.

The 39-year-old's brave crack at a fifth Olympics fell short last week when he finally succumbed to a horrendous run with injuries.

"The decision was tough and I'm extremely disappointed," Free said from the Australian Institute of Sport's European Training Centre in Varese, Italy.

One of the country's most decorated all-round oarsman, whose career was almost ended 13 months ago due to a horrific cycling accident, Free has been unable to shrug off a troublesome rib-cartilage problem.

"I am quite proud that I was able to come back from the accident and trial for the Olympic Team, as 12 months ago I was unsure if I would ever be able to row again," he said.

"I gave it my best crack and hung in there for as long as I could, but the body couldn't keep up as we were running out of time."