Life in Pictures – Jason Kenny
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After a dramatic final of the Men’s Keirin on Day 11 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Jason Kenny equalled Sir Chris Hoy’s haul of six gold medals, meaning he has tied his former teammate as Great Britain’s most successful Olympian of all time.
Despite being one of the best cyclists in history, Kenny has never been as well known as Hoy, but that is surely about to change.
We’ve taken a look back at his life in pictures:
Early career
After competing in the Future Stars series and also competing for Great Britain at a junior level, Kenny made the step up to senior level in 2007 before being called up to the World Championships in 2008.
Beijing 2008
Despite progressing from competing in a domestic junior series to the Olympic Games in only three and a half years, Kenny left China with both a gold and a silver medal.
He won gold alongside Jamie Staff and Chris Hoy in the team sprint and silver in the individual sprint, losing to Hoy in the final.
New Year Honours
Kenny was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours list.
London 2012
Having won numerous World and European medals in the four years between the Olympics, Kenny was one of the highly touted medal prospects at London 2012, and he didn’t disappoint.
Alongside Chris Hoy and Philip Hindes, he once again won the team sprint, setting a new world record in the process. He went one better in the Individual sprint too, winning gold by defeating Gregory Bauge of France in the final
New Year Honours... again
Kenny was once again mentioned in the New Year Honours list, this time as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
2014 Commonwealth Games
Winning two Commonwealth Games silver medals shouldn’t be sniffed at, but Kenny was slight disappointed not to win gold in either the team or individual sprints in Glasgow.
Rio gold number one
Kenny’s fourth Olympic gold medal, and his first at the Rio games, came in the team sprint alongside Philip Hindes and Callum Skinner.
Rio gold number two
Just a few days later, Kenny won Olympic gold number five in the individual sprint. Similarly to what Chris Hoy had done to him in China, he defeated teammate Callum Skinner in the final
Rio gold number three
Kenny tied Hoy as Team GB’s most successful Olympian by winning the Keirin. The race was restarted twice and there was genuine concern at one stage that Kenny would be disqualified. However, those fears were unfounded and the 28-year-old made a breathtaking late push to the line to win a dramatic race.
Relationship with Laura Trott
Kenny is engaged to fellow track cyclist Laura Trott, who just so happens to be a four-time Olympic champion too! The pair are due to get married later this year.