Britain’s most successful female Olympian Laura Kenny has announced her retirement from competitive cycling.
The 31-year-old has won five Olympic gold medals and was expected to compete at this summer’s Paris Games, but told the BBC it was time to call it quits.
In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Kenny said: It’s been a lot of fun, but now it’s time to hang up that bike. ”
Kenny and her husband Jason, Britain’s most decorated Olympian, said spending time at home with their two sons was becoming increasingly appealing to her.
“It’s been on my mind for a while, but the sacrifice of leaving my kids and my family at home is really big and it’s a really big decision,” she added.
“More and more, I was having trouble making it happen. More and more people were asking me what kind of races I was doing, what kind of training camps I was in, but at the end… I didn’t want to go there, so that’s what I ended up doing.
“I knew the moment I felt that emotion. I said to Jace, ‘I don’t think I want to ride a bike anymore,’ and it made me feel better.”
