The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Hoy expects to be overtaken by Kennys at Tokyo Olympic Games
OLYMPICS: Sir Chris says Kennys should strike gold in Tokyo next year
Sir Chris Hoy suspects both Jason and Laura Kenny will overtake the record he currently jointly holds as Britain’s most successful Olympian by the conclusion of next year’s Tokyo Games.
The Scot won six Olympic gold medals across a glittering career while his former team-mate Jason Kenny equalled the benchmark by topping the podium three times at Rio 2016.
The pair have also won one silver each, meaning Kenny, who has returned to cycling after an extended sabbatical, has the opportunity to supersede Hoy in Japan next summer.
But Hoy, who retired from cycling in April 2013, believes Kenny’s wife, Laura, with four Olympic golds of her own, may well seize the chance to make history.
Speaking in his role as a Laureus Academy member, Hoy said: “I was there when Jason won his third gold medal in Rio in the keirin and I was celebrating as hard almost as when I won my medals. He’s a great guy, he deserves all the success he gets.
“If he goes on and wins a medal, even a single bronze medal in Tokyo, that will make him the most successful Olympian of all time from Britain. If he gets that I’ll be thoroughly chuffed for him.
“But Laura could win three gold medals (in Tokyo) and she’ll leapfrog everybody with seven gold medals.
“The Kenny household already have 10 gold medals between the two of them, so it could be quite a full trophy cabinet when they get back from Tokyo.”
Since Rio, Kenny has married Laura who gave birth to the couple’s first child, Albert, in 2017.
The couple will be in action for Great Britain this week at the World Track Cycling Championships in Poland.
Hoy, an 11-time world champion, said: “I think we’re going to see, particularly from the women’s side, some really good performances.
“The men’s, hopefully, will win a few gold medals. The team are looking confident.
“I think the Aussies, the Dutch, the French, the Germans – the usual suspects – will shine but whether GB are the top nation overall, we’ll have to wait and see.”