British cycling great Laura Kenny announces retirement

British cycling great Laura Kenny announces retirement

Sports

Kenny had been targeting the Paris Games later this year

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London (AFP) – Britain's Laura Kenny, the most successful female cyclist in Olympic history, announced Monday it was time to "hang that bike up".

The five-time Olympic track gold medallist, who gave birth to a second child in July, had been targeting the Paris Games later this year.

"I always knew deep down I would know when the right time was," the 31-year-old told the BBC. "I have had an absolute blast but now is the time for me to hang that bike up."

Kenny, who is married to Britain's most successful Olympic cyclist Jason Kenny, won gold medals at the London 2012 Games in omnium and team pursuit, repeating the feat four years later in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2021, at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she became the first winner of the women's Madison title, with Katie Archibald. She is a seven-time world champion and 14-time European champion.