Sir Chris Hoy, one of Britain’s greatest ever Olympians, revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer in February with the six-time gold medallist stating he is “optimistic, positive and surrounded by love”.
Earlier this month, the 48-year-old made an appearance in the Royal Box at Wimbledon and at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone as he continues to undergo chemotherapy.
“The second half of a perfect British sporting weekend!” the Scot posted on Instagram. “Wimbledon on Saturday, Silverstone GP on Sunday.”
Hoy, who is Britain’s third-most decorated Olympain, revealed his cancer diagnosis earlier this year, telling his followers: “I currently feel fine – I am continuing to work, ride my bike and live my life as normal.
“It’s an exciting year of work ahead, not least with the Paris Olympics in July. I can’t wait to get stuck in, have fun and share it with you all.”
It may seem hard to believe ahead of expected success at Paris 2024, but at the opening of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Team GB’s cycling squad entered having won just two gold medals in almost a century.
The 1908 Olympics had brought five gold medals for UK athletes, but only two had been won since then – Thomas Lance and Harry Ryan in the tandem race in 1920, and Chris Boardman in the individual pursuit in 1992.
Sydney closed with a gold medal success in the time trial for Jason Queally, but it was further back, in the silver and bronze medals, where the future of British Olympic cycling lay.
Hoy ended his first appearance at the Olympics with a silver medal in the team sprint, but by the time he arrived at Athens in 2004, he was – along with Bradley Wiggins – the leader of a new generation of British cyclists that was about to usher in over a decade of unprecedented success.
Born in Edinburgh in 1976, Hoy was quickly involved in numerous sporting endeavours from a young age, competing internationally in BMX and representing Scotland’s junior national rowing team. He joined his first cycling club aged 14 in 1990, and by 1999 was respresenting Great Britain at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
The 2000 Olympics brought Hoy’s first Olympic medal alongside Queally and Craig MacLean, and by 2004 he had established himself as the favourite in the men’s track time trial. He duly delivered on the lofty expectations, winning gold and setting a new Olympic record of 1:00.711.
However, what would be the crowning moment for many Olympians was just the start for Hoy and Team GB. Beijing 2008 brought 14 medals for Team GB cycling, with Hoy and Wiggins at the centre of things once again (along with Jason Kenny and Victoria Pendleton) as the Scot took home three more gold medals in the sprint, team sprint and keirin. A knighthood was to follow later that year.
By 2012, Hoy was coming towards the end of a glittering career, but still managed to win gold at the World Cup in the new London Velodrome. A few months later, he was the flag bearer for Team GB at a home Olympics, and though he didnt compete in the sprint this time round, he defended his gold medals in the keirin and team sprint, surpassing Sir Steve Redgrave as Britain’s most successful Olympian.
With more gold medals for Wiggins, Pendleton, Jason Kenny and Laura Trott, the transformation of British cycling was complete. Hoy announced his retirement in 2013, ending a career that had brought 11 world titles and two Commonwealth crowns alongside his Olympic glory, and his legacy lives on in the continued British dominance of Olympic cycling – Team GB topped the medal table at the Games in 2016 and 2021, with 12 overall in both editions.
Following his retirement, Hoy stayed in the sporting world for a little longer, pursuing his love of motorsport to race in the British GT Championship and at Le Mans.
In February, Hoy said he hoped to keep his cancer diagnosis private but his hand had been “forced” and asked for privacy “for the sake of my young family”.
He added: “I’m optimistic, positive and surrounded by love for which I’m truly grateful. As you might imagine, the last few months have been incredibly difficult.
“However, I currently feel fine – I am continuing to work, ride my bike and live my life as normal.
“It’s an exciting year of work ahead, not least with the Paris Olympics in July. I can’t wait to get stuck in, have fun and share it with you all.”
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