Great Britain’s most successful Olympian and cyclist Sir Jason Kenny has announced his retirement to take on a coaching role with British Cycling.
The 33-year-old is the most decorated British Olympian ever having won nine medals including seven golds and two silvers between the 2008 Beijing games and the 2021 Tokyo games.
Born in Greater Manchester, Kenny has had a distinguished cycling career not only in the Olympics, having won a variety of medals at the World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games.
Despite having had his sights set on a final Olympics in 2024 in Paris, Kenny has decided to draw the curtain on a record breaking time as a cyclist.
Sir Jason Kenny, Britain’s most successful Olympian, has announced his retirement at the age of 33 🥇👏 pic.twitter.com/cQZfexpEST
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 24, 2022
British Cycling Performance Director, Stephen Park CBE had this to say on Kenny’s decision to retire and move to coaching:
“To win an Olympic medal of any colour is a magnificent achievement, but it’s almost impossible to comprehend the level of talent, dedication and resilience needed to top the podium seven times across four Olympic Games.
“In many ways Jason’s final race, the Tokyo keirin, was the perfect embodiment of all that has made him such a joy to watch. Of the millions watching worldwide I don’t think any could have foreseen the guile and explosive power which saw him blaze to victory, and I can think of no better way to call time on such a wonderful career.
“It goes without saying that Jason has made a magnificent contribution to our team, and I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to hold on to all of that knowledge and experience as he embarks on his career as a coach. We understand the vital importance of developing great riders to become great coaches, and we look forward to working with Jason as he develops his own style to support the medal ambitions of others over the years ahead.”
🇬🇧👏 Happy retirement to Britain’s most decorated Olympian, Sir Jason Kenny!
— Sporting Life 🎯🔴🎾⛳️🥊🏏🏉 🏈 (@SportingLifeFC) February 24, 2022
🥇7⃣
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💪 He was always too good for bronze in his four Olympic Games.
😉 Will his wife Laura now catch him up?! pic.twitter.com/adBtsFKz7R
Kenny retires holding one more medal than fellow cyclist Bradley Wiggins and two more than Chris Hoy, as the three cyclists dominate the standings.
His wife and fellow cyclist Laura Kenny will now be hunting his tally, she currently holds six Olympic medals and will most likely feature in Paris in two years time.
Kenny’s decision has come as no real shock but many fans would’ve been hoping to see the cycling icon reach double digit Olympic medals in Paris.
Speaking to the BBC, Kenny said: “It’s a combination of things.
“The opportunity came up at British Cycling to be a coach and it’s something I wanted to do when I stopped anyway and it might not be there in three years so I thought for the sake of three years, I don’t know if I can do three more years anyway, I thought I’d take the opportunity now.
“I’m really sad. It’s all I’ve ever known is racing and training. I’m sad on that front but excited to start this new journey.
“It’s a step into the unknown. I’ve worked with amazing coaches and I’m trying to unlock my memories of what I remember as a rider and what I liked.”
For British cycling they have lost their greatest ever cyclist, but having him in a coaching role may be key to finding and making the next Jason Kenny.
