Legendary cyclist Sir Jason Kenny, who is undoubtedly one of Britain’s most celebrated Olympians, has called time on his incredible career.
The 33-year-old is a seven-time gold medalist and two-time silver medallist, and said he will next head into coaching as Team Great Britain’s sprint coach.
Kenny was knighted during the new year honours following his victory in the keirin in Tokyo last year, for which he won yet another Olympic medal.
The star cyclist said at the time of his announcement that the decision to retire had been taken together with his wife, Dame Laura Kenny, who is herself a decorated female British Olympian. She won her fifth gold alongside teammate Katie Archibald last summer.
Kenny said the hope is that his new role as coach will afford him more time with the couple’s son, Albie, who is 4. Laura, however, will be targeting a fourth Olympic appearance in Paris in 2024.
Kenny said the decision to retire had been anything but simple or easy. He said he had a burning desire to continue racing competitively until at least Paris, but that decision time came sooner than expected because of the incredible opportunity to coach Team GB. He also quipped that “creaking” is something he has become closely familiar with during recent months.
According to the star Olympian, athletes never really have a “day off”. When not competing, Kenny said athletes are planning for the next race or day, and can never just do whatever it is they’d like to be doing.
He said while he anticipates to have less time off in his new role, he’ll certainly get to enjoy it much more.
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