Team GB cycling star Dame Laura Kenny has announced her retirement, bringing the curtain down on a medal-filled career.
Kenny, 31, has announced her decision just months before the Olympic Games in Paris. It means she will not have the opportunity to add to the Olympic medal tally from a decorated career including five gold medals at the games.
A veteran of three Olympic campaigns with Team GB, Kenny was one of the stars of the London games in 2012. The star, who is married to former cyclist Jason, won two golds in 2012, two more in 2016 and a gold and a silver at the Tokyo games.
"Thank you cycling for everything you’ve given me - including a husband and our growing family!" she wrote on social media. "Having people say I have inspired women and girls to get active and get on a bike means the world to me.
"Thanks to Team GB, British Cycling and all the partners who have supported my journey," she added. "A special thanks to every team mate I have had over the years and of course to my family for being the best support unit I could ever have wished for. It’s now time for the next chapter.
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Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the Olympian reflected on her decision. “I always knew deep down I would know when was the right time. I have had an absolute blast but now is the time to hang up the bike," she said.
“It’s been in my head a little while, the sacrifices of leaving the children and your family at home is really quite big and it is a really big decision to make. More and more, I was struggling to do that. More people asking me what races I was doing, what training camps was I going on, I didn’t want to go ultimately and that’s what it came down to.
How does Laura Kenny compare to the Olympic greats? Have your say in the comments section
Laura Kenny has confirmed her retirement from cycling (BBC Breakfast)“I knew the minute I was getting those feelings. Once I said to Jase ‘I don’t think I want to ride a bike anymore’, I started to feel relief.
“I was getting these hesitant feelings. Going on to win another gold medal, as much as I would love to do that, it wasn’t giving me the energy I wanted anymore, it just wasn’t. I wasn’t thinking, “i really want to go and win one’, I was thinking, ‘I really want to stay home with the children’.”
A number of fans have shared messages of support following Kenny's announcement. "Thank you for inspiring so many girls like me," wrote one, with another calling her "absolute superstar of cycling".
"Laura- I can’t believe I’ve been watching you go round and round since you were a teenager," wrote another. "You’ve been magnificent, thank-you!"
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