Will it be Dame Laura for our golden girl?
...along with silver and bronze medals on a fabulous Friday for Team GB’s women
...and could it soon be Dame Laura?
GIRL power swept Britain to yet more medal glory yesterday with cycling queen Laura Kenny weeping as she was crowned our greatest ever female Olympian.
On ‘Fab Friday’, women led the way as Team GB grabbed a magnificent seven medals – two golds, two silvers and three bronzes.
A damehood now surely beckons for Mrs Kenny after she made history as the first British woman to win golds at three consecutive Games, taking her personal tally to five, plus a silver.
Female athletes took honours in cycling, modern pentathlon, hockey and the 4x100m relay, while the men also bagged medals in the velodrome and were pipped in their own 4x100m sprint.
Mother-of-one Mrs Kenny took a stunning gold in the Madison event, a tortuous 120 lap race, with the first to congratulate her being Britain’s greatest Olympian of all time – her husband Jason.
The golden couple, with 11 golds and 14 medals between them, now have the world at their feet, with one marketing expert predicting they would be £5million richer in sponsorship deals before the year is out. But as the plaudits led by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge rolled in last night, 29-year-old Mrs Kenny tried not to cry as she thought of the couple’s little boy watching back home.
‘I’ve never missed him so much in all my life,’ she said of Albie, whose fourth birthday is in two weeks. ‘I kept saying to people, “Oh please don’t ask me about Albie.” Honestly… it’s so hard leaving him at home.’
Former sports minister Richard Caborn raised the prospect of a damehood for Mrs Kenny by saying: ‘She stands out – there’s no doubt. In difficult circumstances she has become our greatest.’ And last night a senior figure close to the honours committee said she ‘fits the criteria’ for a top honour, as does her husband.
Her achievement is all the more remarkable because she broke her shoulder in a cycling crash in January last year – and chose not to have surgery so she could continue her Olympic preparations. Mrs Kenny and teammate Katie Archibald utterly dominated yesterday’s race at the Izu Velodrome, 100 miles from Tokyo. With a ruthless combination of pace and tactical brilliance, they won an unheard-of ten out of 12 sprints. They cruised to an easy victory, clasping hands as they sailed over the finish line. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tweeted: ‘Incredible achievement [Laura Kenny] on becoming the first British woman to win golds at three consecutive Olympic Games.’ Boris Johnson said: ‘A phenomenal Friday of sport in Tokyo, with many great medal wins for Team GB. Hugely inspirational to see Laura Kenny making history as the first British woman to win gold at three Olympic Games. Very well done all!’
Miss Archibald, 27, from Milngavie, Scotland, said: ‘I’ve never wanted something so much and I’ve never been so nervous.’ Britain’s cycling success also saw Jack Carlin, 24, claim an impressive bronze medal in the men’s individual sprint. And the women’s hockey team delivered their third consecutive Olympic medal in Tokyo yesterday in a seven-goal thriller against India.
Captain Hollie Pearne-Webb 30, from Belper, Derbyshire, said: ‘Olympic bronze, even just a few months ago, was in our wildest dreams. I’m so proud of all the girls, the whole squad, the whole support staff that have been involved.’
Last night Britain had 58 medals from the Games and was in fourth place in the overall table, behind China, the USA and hosts Japan.