Laura Kenny has announced her immediate retirement from competitive cycling, ending a career that included five Olympic gold medals and seven world titles.
British athletes were preparing for a fourth Olympic appearance this summer, but British Cycling performance director Stephen Park suggested earlier this month that there was only a “slim” chance of lining up for the Paris Games. . On Monday, Kenny confirmed his retirement from competitive cycling.
“I always knew deep down I would know when the right time was. I had a lot of fun, but now it's time to hang up that bike,” Kenny told the BBC.
Kenny was one of the stars of the 2012 London Olympics, winning gold medals in both the omnium and team pursuit. She repeated her feat four years later in Rio, winning gold in Madison and silver in team pursuit in Tokyo 2021.
Kenny said of the London Olympics, “I never thought I'd be able to play in my home games, let alone win two gold medals.'' “I look back and think, 'Wow, those two weeks with him really changed my life.'”
Kenny has competed on the road, including with the Wiggle-Honda team in 2013 and 2014, but track cycling has always been her priority, winning rainbow jerseys in the omnium, scratch and team pursuit. He won 14 European titles on the velodrome.
Her husband Jason Kenney, a seven-time Olympic champion himself, retired from competitive cycling in early 2022. The couple has two children, born in 2017 and 2023.
“It's been on my mind for a while, but the sacrifice of leaving my kids and my family at home is really big and it's a really big decision,” Kenney said Monday.
“More and more, I was having trouble making it happen. More and more people were asking me what races I was doing, what training camps I was in. I ended up not wanting to go. But that's what happened in the end.”
“I knew the moment I felt that emotion. I said to Jace, 'I don't think I want to ride a bike anymore,' and it made me feel better.”
In a statement released by British Cycling, performance director Stephen Park paid tribute to Kenny's influence on the sport.
“Laura steps off the wheel not only as one of the greatest riders in the sport, but as one of the greatest talents in the sport that our country has ever produced,” Park said. “She was a beacon of inspiration to so many people, young and old, and I’m sure the entire British cycling community will join me in wishing her all the best for the next chapter of her life.” .”
