NO WAY WE’LL STOP AT TEN
Kenny and Trott have their eyes trained on more golds in Tokyo
THE golden couple took a delivery from the golden arches yesterday, and Laura Trott did not hesitate to start enjoying one of her guilty pleasures. She offered Jason Kenny a chip, but he declined, with someone then suggesting it might be why he had six Olympic titles to her four.
Kenny found that funny and his form was as good as it had been in the velodrome the previous night, even if he did describe the photoshoot he had just endured with his doting fiancée as ‘a special kind of hell’.
Trott takes these moments more in her stride, cracking witty one-liners between chicken nuggets.
‘Two more medals and we can make a clock,’ she joked before revealing that their parents would not be allowing them to keep the five new ones they will be taking home from Rio. ‘I don’t think they trust us. We are not responsible enough.’
What they are responsible for is one of the stories of the Olympic Games and what became fairly apparent, listening to them yesterday, is that their story is not yet over.
As keen as they were to enjoy the here and now after their brilliance in the velodrome, they were not averse to discussing the possibility of pursuing yet more Olympic history.
‘Right now, I couldn’t tell you how many more,’ said Trott. ‘It’s hard to even think about it. But I am only 24.’
Kenny is only 28; the same age as Sir Chris Hoy when he won the first of his six golds.
And he identifies his former sprint colleague and training partner, and the fact that he secured the last of his Olympic titles at 36, as a reason why he can continue.
‘Chris was 36 and Brad’s (Wiggins) getting on a bit as well,’ he said. ‘I think in cycling, if you look after yourself and you get lucky with crashes — and I haven’t got any injuries — you could potentially carry on well into your 30s.
‘But it’s whether we want to. It’s whether you want to deal with the lows. It’s a long four years. And there are plenty of people waiting to take our place. We’ll have to wait and see.’
The wait is already over in one respect, however, and that is for some proper recognition for Kenny’s remarkable talent on a bicycle.
It emerged during the Games that he arrived in Brazil without a single personal endorsement deal, even though he already had three Olympic golds and a silver to his name.
And while he admits it owes much to his failure to actively pursue sponsorship, it obviously irks this modest Lancastrian that companies are not instead chasing him.
Trott nevertheless senses a change in the air. ‘What more can he do?’ she said. ‘He has equalled Sir Chris Hoy.
‘But yesterday, even in the velodrome, it felt weird. It felt like there was a switch and, all of a sudden, it was “Jason, Jason, Jason”. And everyone wanted a piece of Jason. That was the first time I had really seen that. Even in London at the worlds in March, and at the Olympics last time around, it wasn’t the case. This time, it was just like a switch had been turned on and, all of a sudden, Jason was at the forefront of it.’ She was asked if she was prepared to share him. ‘He’s still mine,’ she replied rather touchingly. But things are about to change, with even Kenny hinting that potential sponsors are now showing some interest and he might start to receive more than the money he picks up from lottery funding. ‘I used to try,’ he said. ‘You get a bit of success, you push yourself in the media and get a few deals and things. I tried that, but it didn’t come naturally. I found it a bit frustrating. But as I’ve got older, I’ve got a bit more mature and gained a bit more experience.
‘At this point in time, no, I haven’t got any sponsors. But that wasn’t meant to be a complaint. I’m in a lucky position where I know I’ll always have lottery funding. As long as I’m performing in the sport, I’ll always be supported and be able to compete full-time.
‘I’m in a really fortunate position. It’s just where I am. To be honest, I’d rather be anywhere but in front of a million cameras saying “do this, do that”.’
If they are in the public eye, they prefer to be on the track, dazzling us with their speed.
Sitting down with them yesterday, it is easy to see where Kenny’s ability comes from. He is a powerfully-built man. But Trott is tiny in comparison to her main rivals, the sight of them in the omnium towering over her after the medal ceremony evidence of that.
‘Track is very much about power to weight, especially off the starts,’ she said. ‘That’s why my 500m has always been really good. I spend a lot of time in the gym with the girls and I think that has really helped.
‘But I do have great leg speed. I’ve always been able to pedal gears. That gives me a huge advantage.’
Her figures are astonishing for someone standing 5ft 5in tall and weighing just over eight-and-ahalf stone. In the flying lap of the omnium, she was ranked first with an average speed of more than 40mph, and also boasts a maximum power output of more than 1000 watts on a road bike.
‘My personal best is 1070 in a road sprint,’ she said.
Kenny will generate considerably more when he accelerates amid the chaos of the keirin event he won on Tuesday night, and it is something that actually terrifies Trott.
‘I get so nervous watching him, especially in keirins,’ she said. ‘Because they are dangerous. People just throw everything at it. The speeds are just incredible. That whole side of it freaks me out because I don’t want him to get hurt.’
Unless he starts accepting the odd chip, it could prove difficult to slow him down.