LAURA SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY
Mr and Mrs Kenny don’t mention rivalry
LAURA KENNY may not even be the most successful cyclist in her own household when she returns from her bid to become Great Britain’s greatest Olympian in Tokyo.
The cyclist will be chasing a hat-trick of gold medals on the track in Japan, which would take her past Sir Chris Hoy’s all-time record of six.
But husband Jason, who shares Sir Chris’s record of six golds, is also going for three sprint titles and Laura giggled: “I’m living with the person I’m trying to beat.”
The Kenny dream team will be Britain’s best chance of bringing home the bullion, with Laura thankful for the 12-month delay allowing her to regain full fitness after two heavy crashes last year, one of them leaving her with a fractured shoulder.
Now she is at full throttle after being selected to ride in the team pursuit, omnium and Madison.
Of the husband-and-wife race to the summit, Laura said: “We’re just preparing for the Games how we would any other.
“It’s funny – in Rio someone told me, ‘You realise no other female has ever won more?’ And I was like, oh, no, I hadn’t realised. Obviously, a lot of people have told me about this one. I am living with the person
I am trying to beat. But I don’t really think about that, I suppose. I’d never have wished this whole pandemic on the world but, for me, as an athlete, having this extra year to prepare has definitely helped me.
“I put my hat in the ring for three events and I wanted to be selected for three events. How I would have got selected for that Madison, I don’t know.
“It was maybe June last year by the time I could actually do a Madison change. I want to be at my best, I don’t want to just go to an Olympics.”
Asked if there was a friendly rivalry at home, Jason laughed: “It’s the first time I’ve heard of it if there is.
No, I don’t think so.We are all ploughing our own furrow. She has obviously got a phenomenal record. As for going past Chris, it’s just another race for me. Every gold medal has been special, right back to Beijing. They’ve all got a story.
“I don’t think about records, I just focus on the task and try to put in a performance worthy of being at the sharp end.
“Once you get to the holding camp, everyone is equal and all egos get left at the door.When you get on the track it doesn’t matter what you’ve won before. The race is there for everyone, it is the same opportunity for
everyone.”