Olympic hero Kenny on why he’s back on the track after year out THIS IS THE ONLY JOB I’M ANY GOOD AT!
JASON KENNY “drifted” back to track cycling after a gap year – because it’s the only job he is any good at doing.
Britain’s record-equalling six-times Olympic champion rejoins Great Britain’s blazing saddles at the UCI world championships in Apeldoorn today in the team sprint.
And Kenny, who spent his year off the bike getting married and becoming a father, shrugged: “There is nothing physically stopping me from having another bash and doing another Olympics.”
Nobody is more surprised that Kenny, 30 next month, will carry on until Tokyo 2020 than his missus Laura, a four-time Olympic gold medallist, who also returns for the women’s team pursuit today.
She “assumed” Kenny had retired from racing after his hat-trick at the Rio Games 18 months ago.
“He told me he wasn’t enjoying cycling any more so he would finish after Rio. He didn’t do any training so I just assumed he’d finished,” she said.
But in an unprecedented arrangement, they have taken sixmonth-old son Albie with them to Holland and are staying in an apartment away from the team hotel.
Kenny said: “After Rio, it was a case of taking a year off and doing what I wanted, so I went mountain biking and walking the dogs up in the hills.
“I enjoyed being outside, but then I started enjoying the gym as well, which was quite surprising as I had never really liked it in the past.
“Albie was not a motivation for me to come back as such, but you want to encourage your kids to get stuck in and give it a go.
“I took a year off, didn’t find anything better to do then just drifted back... it turns out I’m only good at one thing!
“I had decided to retire in January 2016, but then I went on to win the worlds and the Olympics – I saw it through because you’d be a maniac to quit after doing all the hard work and before you’d put the icing on the cake.
“My plan is to get to the last six months before Tokyo. I like going fast, so my favourite time is the last six months of a four-year Olympic cycle, when everything comes together.”
Laura Kenny’s return, just six months after giving birth, is a feat in itself, although help will be on hand for babysitting. She confirmed: “My mum is coming out to help look after Albie then Jason’s mum is coming out later.”