Laura eyes Tokyo after bumpy ride
LAURA Kenny is already a four-time Olympic champion but, following a life-changing period away from the velodrome, she believes victory in Tokyo would top the lot.
The 27-year-old track cyclist celebrated the birth of her first child a year after the Rio 2016 Games with husband Jason - who is from Farnworth – and the initial signs suggested she would ease back into the saddle.
But within six months of the arrival of Albie, Kenny was back among the world’s elite – racing at the track World Championships.
She admits she was a long way from being the athlete that won team pursuit and omnium gold in Brazil, and while adapting to life as a parent, she has had to overcome obstacles on the track which she claims would make glory taste even sweeter next summer.
“Success in Tokyo would probably be among my biggest achievements because I’ve never really had to come back from anything before,” said Kenny, speaking at the launch of HSBC UK People’s Peloton campaign. “I don’t like to call it a comeback because it’s not as if I’ve been injured or anything – it was a choice to have a child. But last year was the toughest I’ve had so far. I came back quickly but not even nearly to a level I wanted to be at.
“Even at the European Championships last year – I felt terrible. Even though I won two gold medals, I wasn’t mentally or physically prepared and I felt like a fish out of water.
“Then, after slowly getting back into it in the World Cup season, I got ill at the World Championships which was difficult to take.
“But I’ve had a really good summer and have put all that aside now. I’m firmly focused on what I want to achieve in Tokyo.”
Kenny hopes to compete in three races in Japan next summer, bidding to add Madison glory to her team pursuit and omnium tally.
She added: “I’m sacrificing a lot being away from Albie, so I’m eager to make the most of that time on the track, and I’ll certainly be looking to do that in Tokyo.”