Olympic cycling legend Laura Kenny has retired and will not compete in this year's Paris Games. Kenny won 5 Olympic gold medals, 7 European titles and 14 world championships in 13 years.She is married to Jason Kenny, Britain's most decorated Olympian.
by Nigel Chiu, sports journalist
6:07, UK, Tuesday 19 March 2024
Britain's most decorated female Olympian, Laura Kenny, has announced her retirement from competitive cycling just four months before the 2024 Paris Games.
Kenny won five Olympic gold medals and seven world titles during his impressive career and is married to former cyclist Jason Kenny, who is Britain's most successful Olympian.
The 31-year-old gave birth to her second daughter in July last year and will not be competing in this year's Paris Olympics, which open on July 26.
“Thank you cycling for everything you have given me, including my husband and growing family!” Kenny wrote on Instagram.
“It means so much to me to have people say that I have inspired women and girls to get active and ride their bikes. Thank you to all our partners for their support.”
“A special thank you to all the teammates I've had over the years and of course my family who have been the best support unit I could have ever asked for. It's now time to move on. But keep following us for the next chapter.”
she added: BBC Breakfast: “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.
“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 it the moment I felt that way. When I told Jace, 'I don't want to ride a bike anymore,' I felt better.”
brilliant career
Before giving birth in 2017, Kenny won the women's omnium and team pursuit events at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. No other British woman has won four Olympic gold medals, but dressage athlete Charlotte Dujardin is next on the list with three gold medals.
In 2019, Kenny regained her form by winning several events at the Track Cycling World Cup, and won silver in the women's team pursuit event at the postponed 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
At the Madison Games, she teamed up with Katie Archibald to win an overwhelming gold medal, becoming the first British woman to win gold at three consecutive Olympic Games.
“I never thought I'd be able to play in a home game, let alone win two gold medals,” Kenny said.
“I look back and think, 'Wow, those two weeks really changed my life.'”
Kenny suffered a miscarriage at nine weeks in November 2021 after the Olympics, and underwent surgery for an ectopic pregnancy in January 2022.
She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2022 New Year Honors for her contribution to cycling and won her second gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in a scratch race in Birmingham that summer. This was his last major honor.
The 14-time European champion had hoped to compete in her fourth Olympic Games this summer, but has not returned to training for Great Britain this year, with the Track Nations Cup in Canada in April now being held in Paris. It was supposed to be his last chance to qualify for the Olympics.
“Nothing is set in stone, but there are a lot of things I want to do,” Kenny said of his future after retirement.
“Maybe something to help the younger generation, something like an academy.
“I couldn't become a coach because it would be too much pressure, but maybe there's something behind it that could give young players the opportunity I had.”
Paying tribute to British Cycling
Laura and Jason Kenny have remained relatively quiet from competitive cycling, but they will go down as two of Britain's greatest athletes.
Jason retired after the Tokyo Olympics, and Laura followed in her husband's footsteps for over two years.
British Cycling performance director Stephen Park oversaw the final part of Kenny's career, including his return from the birth of his first child.
“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 our country has ever produced,” Park said.
“Everyone who watched Laura compete was reminded of the unparalleled skill and determination that made her Britain's most successful female Olympian, and the first British woman to win gold at three consecutive Olympic Games. You'll see some combinations.
“But just as impressive is Laura's influence on her fellow riders on the British Cycling Team and on the next generation of Olympic hopefuls. She was a beacon of inspiration to many, young and old, including myself.” I am sure the entire British cycling community will join me in wishing her all the best for the next chapter of her life.
“We are so proud of everything she has achieved, from her journey to the top of Welwyn Wheelers and our talented sporting world, and we look forward to working with her for many years to come. I am confident that he will continue to be one of our team's biggest supporters.”
