CHRIS HOY Scot expects his record Olympic gold medal haul to be beaten in Tokyo and will be cheering on Jason and Laura Kenny.
“If you are going to lose your record to anyone, you want it to be one of your old team-mates”
Sir Chris Hoy fully expects his record Olympic gold medal haul to be overhauled in Tokyo - and will be cheering on Jason and Laura Kenny in their attempts.
Jason Kenny equalled Hoy's Britishrecordsixolympictitles at the Rio Games in 2016 while wife Laura moved on to four gold medals.
Hoyfeelsformertrackcycling team-mate Jason, inset, is set to peak at the right time in the sprint events and endurance rider Laura is capable of multiple wins.
"Themen'sdutchsprintteam havebeendominantforthelast four or five years and it's been a giventhatthedutcharegoingto win, and the rest are playing for second place, but the Brits are getting closer and closer," said Edinburgh-born Hoy.
"They could give them a fright but they have a great chance of silver.
"Individually, I have seen Jason in the background, as he always does, bringing it to his bestformatjusttherighttime.i think the extra year has helped him, and Laura.
"Lauracrashedlastyear,broke her collarbone, and wasn't in the best shape at the Worlds because of that. She has four gold medals and I think she could win three and leapfrog Jason and me.
"Whatever happens, I am expecting Jason or Laura to come out of these Games as the most successful British Olympian of all time.
"I will be cheering both of them on because they are both great athletes and both really nicefolkaswell.ifyouaregoing to lose your record to anyone, you want it to be one of your old team-mates so that you can enjoy that moment yourself."
Both have said they are not focused on records and Hoy recognisesthatapproachasthe best way to succeed.
"Notonlyareyounotthinking about setting records, you are not thinking about winning the race," said Hoy, who will lead a team of cyclists on a Glasgowedinburgh cycle ride on September 5 in a bid to help Social
Biteraise£1milliontobuildtwo villages for the homeless.
"If you focus on the process ratherthentheoutcomeorconsequences, you block out all the distractions. I certainly wasn't thinking about records or gold medals, I was just trying to get through the race and focus on the tactics."
Meanwhile, Hoy feels the circumstances around the pandemic can enhance the Olympics impact rather than diminish it.
The Tokyo Games opening ceremonywilltakeplaceonjuly 23 following a year's delay and major uncertainty over whether they would happen at all.
Fanswillnotbepresentaftera spikeincovid-19casessparkeda state of emergency in the Japanese capital.
Competitors will have to quarantine and be subjected to regular testing while adhering to strict guidelines to help prevent any coronavirus cases spreading.
It is a far cry from Hoy's experience of leading Team GB out at London 2012 and becoming the country's most decorated
Olympian in front of a home crowd.
But the retired track cyclist believes there is a chance for athletes to bring heightened joy and distraction to a world seeking respite from coronavirus.
"It's a unique experience," he said. "You can look at it two ways.
"You can go 'oh, what a shame, it's my one Olympic Games or my first Olympic Games, there's going to be no crowds, my family won't be there, I can't go out and enjoy the city when I have finished competing, I can't go and watch other events'.
"Or you can say, 'you know what, this nearly didn't happen and you are going to get the chance to compete for your country at the biggest sporting event in the world'.
"Once you are on the track, the pool, the pitch, whatever it is you are doing, you won't be aware that there is no crowd there, you will be so focused on what you are doing.
"It's not ideal, of course it's not ideal, but in the last 18 months we have had, it's just wonderful that there is some form of competition happening.
"As long as it's done in as safe a way as possible that doesn't cause ripple effects afterwards.
"It's easy to say that as someone who has been to four Games and had the full experience. If it was your only experience it would be disappointing, but I think they are all just relieved that it is going ahead."
The excitement generated by Euro 2020 showed the unifying potential of sport.
"Sport plays such an important role in society," Hoy added. "You can say it's trivial and it's just guys kicking a football or people riding around in circles on a track. If you break it down, everything is trivial unless you are saving lives.
"But I think it has a really, really important role. You can see the difference it has, how engaged the whole of Europe was to the football.
"I think the world will, hopefully, engage with the Olympic Games and have something to focus on, have athletes to cheer on, and to look forward to better times, and remind ourselves of pre-covid times as well.
"The vaccine has made it possible and I really believe it will lift spirits.
"People are desperate for something to engage with and get back to normality. As restrictions start to ease, this will hopefully be another thing that gets people feeling a bit more positive."
Hoy hopes the Olympics can reinforce the drive for health and fitness that came into sharper focus during the first lockdown.
"I don't think people went out for an hour of exercise every day pre-covid, but when they were locked in the house they thought 'this is my chance, I am going for a walk or getting the bike out of the shed'," said the 45-year-old.
"A little bit of exercise in a sustainable way on a weekly or daily basis, ideally, that's what makes long-term change.”