Kenny: Olympics my ultimate goal
JASON Kenny has claimed breaking Sir Chris Hoy’s record of six Olympic gold medals is not his motivation as he steps up his preparations for Tokyo 2020.
Kenny, from Farnworth, Bolton, can surpass Hoy’s British record if he brings home one more title at the next Olympiad.
But the 30-year-old - who effectively retired and then unretired after the Rio Games - insists he is driven now by the rediscovered love of racing his bike.
“I’m naturally competitive,” he said. “I want to win all the time. I’m not interesting in going searching for records, they’ll come when they come. When I’m racing I want to win, I want to get stuck in.”
Hoy has backed both Kenny and his wife Laura to surpass his tally of six golds, with Jason already level and Laura on four ahead of Tokyo. His hopes of building up his preparations for Tokyo, however, were dealt a blow last night as he, Ryan Owens and Philip Hindes were eliminated in the team sprint quarter-finals at the Track Cycling World Championships in Pruszkow, Poland.
Kenny is a three-time world champion, but some of his fondest memories come from the 2009 meet in Pruszkow, where he was part of the British trio that took silver in the team sprint.
“When we went to the world championships in 2009 we were off the back of Beijing where we’d just shocked everyone and ourselves, so we were riding the wave,” he said.
“We were still in that giddy happiness and I just went and enjoyed it.
“It’s probably a good example of how you should approach world championships really - just relax, enjoy it, and get stuck in.”
It speaks to the freedom Kenny is riding with since his decision to return to racing - with his motivations changing after he and Laura were married and they became parents to Albie in 2017.
The Olympics have always been the overriding focus for British Cycling, often at the expense of events such as the world championships earlier in the four-year cycles.
But with Tokyo beginning to loom large on the horizon, the intensity is being stepped up at all levels.
While Kenny understands the demands of his job, he says his goals are now broader.
“I’m not working solely towards one ultimate goal,” he said.
“Obviously the Olympics is the ultimate goal because it’s what we’re funded for and we’ve been brought up targeting.
“It’s always in the back of your mind. But I’m not here just to get to the Olympics. I’ve not planned anything, I don’t tend to plan anything anyway, I just want to enjoy the ride.”