When Team GB track cyclist Jason Kenny won the Keirin competition at the Rio Olympics, the British public were quick to get on social media to congratulate him on equalling the gold medal exploits of Sir Chris Hoy.
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Trott is bidding for a second gold medal at the Rio Games, having already won the team pursuit in a world record time.
Trott’s second gold of the games brought her overall Olympic golds total to four – making her the most successful British female Olympian of all time.
Kenny’s third and Trott’s second gold of the Rio Olympics saw Britain finish with six gold medals from nine events entered on the track.
Marchant came third in the women’s sprint, behind fellow Brit Becky James and Germany’s Kristina Vogel, marking a significant moment for the cycling team…
At just 24 years of age, few would bet against Trott surpassing the trio.
“She’s really worked hard to get here”. Dutch rider Matthijs Buchli took silver and Awang bronze.
“Being able to train on Cheshire peaks and plains is a real boost – it’s ideal territory for them – and I congratulate Laura and Jason on their huge successes”.
With one eye on her closest rivals at every stage of the 25km race, her lead at the top of the leaderboard soon became unassailable after the halfway point.
“I was a little bit anxious then, but once it was re-run I knew the second false start didn’t even matter because you could tell it wasn’t Jason who might be in trouble”. “It felt like a dream”.
“Because it is the pair of us, it’s kind of shot us into this weird, nearly celebrity, lifestyle and yeah I guess I don’t think it’s going to sink in until I get home”.
Kenny was in the final medal race on the track and survived a scare when the race was paused as officials studied footage to determine if had had illegally overtaken the motorised Derny bike before it had left the track.
“Pretty mental really (to equal Hoy’s record) to come here and do the same is wonderful”. Trott won the gold medal in the women’s omnium just hours prior.
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British Cycling is incentivised to prioritise Olympic medals as that is the criteria UK Sport uses for allocating funding, and Kenny, who is set to marry Trott next month, also brushed off opponents’ cynicism.
