The Olympics - 2021

Ten Bobsworth wrote:

Sluffy wrote:Jason Kenny - Wow!!!

Wow indeed. Absolutely brilliant.

Real losers are those who whinge in defeat. The real winners are those who are gracious win or lose and get up and go again when they have a setback.

I've not been to bed yet, stayed up all night to watch the cycling then the boxing (I don't like women fighting though - call me old fashioned but it is just not right to me).

Kenny's win was all the more incredible by following the story as how he even got to the final, he wasn't even the quickest GB rider at these games, Jack Carlin won bronze in the individual sprint race.

I had hoped that he might be lucky and get a bronze - the Dutch, Malaysian and Australian are all much faster than him - and he'd just seen his wife blow her chances of a medal in her race that was going on at the same time in the velodrome, and lets be honest, he wasn't the same imperious Jason Kenny as he was in Rio, so I was being wishful more than rational about even that.

Yet against all the odds he pounced on a misjudgement by the Australian and rode a race that has never been done in such a way before to stun them all and win his gold.

I like cycling, as people probably know, it is pure theatre at times - and Jason's gold is up there as one of those moments.

Worth missing my beauty sleep just to watch it happen live!

I was off work for the last 2 weeks so watched quite a lot of the Olympics and enjoyed it.

The only down side for me has been the relative failure in track and field, we didn't get any golds at all which must be the first time for a long time?

Thought that this would be as good as place as any for this...

Jason Kenny to retire from cycling and move into coaching

Jason Kenny is set to retire from cycling and become British Cycling's men's podium sprint coach, according to reports.

Britain's most decorated Olympian, Kenny has won seven gold medals and nine overall across four Olympic Games, the last coming in Tokyo in the Keirin last year.

On Sunday night the Daily Mail reported that the Mancunian had been given the role and that riders had been told last week.

Kenny won his last gold medal with an audacious attack during the Keirin final in Tokyo, after winning silver in the team sprint, which made him Britain's most successful male Olympian. He had won gold in the team sprint and silver in the team sprint at Beijing 2008; gold in the team sprint and sprint at London 2012; and gold in the team sprint, sprint and Keirin in Rio 2016.

He has also been a three-time world champion, but his main focus has been on the Olympics throughout his career. His medal haul at Tokyo saw him overtake both Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy in terms of overall medals and gold medals at the Olympics, respectively.

He was knighted in the New Year's Honours this year, as his wife, Laura, was made a dame. She has won six medals - five gold and one silver - which makes her Britain's most succesful female Olympic athlete.

Their combined collections makes them the most successful married couple in Olympic history, where both partners have won gold medals. They have a four-year old son together.

Australian Kaarle McCulloch, who retired in November, has reportedly been offered the women's sprint job, and they will both report to British Cycling head coach Jon Norfolk.

The positions of podium sprint coach for the men's and women's teams was advertised on LinkedIn by British Cycling last month, with interviews taking place over the last few weeks.

Kenny had previously suggested that he might carry on until the next Olympics, which will be held in Paris in 2024, but has instead jumped at the opportunity to coach the riders, some of whom will have been his peers until very recently.

British Cycling declined to comment on the reports.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/jason-kenny-to-retire-from-cycling-and-move-into-coaching

The GB men's sprint team have been stripped of their silver medal in a doping scandal.