Dame Laura Kenny, Britain’s most accomplished female Olympic athlete, has declared her retirement before this summer’s Olympics.
The 31-year-old earned five Olympic gold medals in cycling and was expected to compete at this year’s Games in Paris.
‘I always knew deep down I would know when was the right time,’ Kenny told BBC Breakfast.
‘I have had an absolute blast but now is the time for me to hang that bike up.
Kenny and her husband, Sir Jason Kenny – Britain’s most decorated Olympian – last year welcomed a second son to their family and she said spending time at home played a key role in her decision.
‘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 really is a big decision to make,’ Kenny said.
Up Next
‘More and more, I was struggling to do that. More people asking me what races was I doing, what training camps was I going on – I didn’t want to go ultimately and that’s what it came down to.
‘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.’
Kenny also said she was no longer motivated to add more Olympic medals to her stellar career on the track.
‘I was getting these hesitant feelings,’ she said.
‘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 on and win one’. I was thinking, ‘I really want to stay at home with the children’.’
.
.
