Sir Jason Francis Kenny, has retired from the realm of cycling and will now be serving as the British Cycling’s Men’s Podium Sprint Coach. Jason is an Olympic winner and holds the most gold medals when it comes to a British Athlete, making him the perfect person for the role.
There were reports on the Horizon that the most successful British athlete will be the GB Sprint Coach, but on Thursday, this news became a reality. His professional exploits are many, he has won many gold medals, nine of them are across four Olympic games which is just amazing.
Jason had ambitions of his own, he wanted to resume his cycling career till the next Olympic Games that will be held in Paris in 2024, he is a bit sad that he won’t be participating in the Olympic Games but also feels motivated about his new job.
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Sir Jason Kenny said:
A massive part of me would love to continue and try to get to Paris and I’m a little bit sad in a way to not do that.
The opportunity came up at British Cycling to be a coach and it’s something I wanted to do when I stopped anyway and it might not be there in three years so I thought for the sake of three years, I don’t know if I can do three more years anyway, I thought I’d take the opportunity now.
I’m really sad. It’s all I’ve ever known is racing and training. I’m sad on that front but excited to start this new journey.
It’s a step into the unknown. I’ve worked with amazing coaches and I’m trying to unlock my memories of what I remember as a rider and what I liked.
His cycling career is an amazing one, he has won numerous medals and his last medal was at the Men’s Keirin at the Tokyo Olympics. Although he won silver in the team sprint, that win made him feel “Special”. Apart from these winnings, he has also been the World Champion three times on the track.
Jason Kenny’s focus has always been on the Olympics, he has put his heart into it and won many medals for his country, making him the most successful British Athlete yet. This year, on New Year’s Eve, he was knighted and his wife was made a dame. Laura Kenny has also won many Olympic medals, they include five gold and one silver, which makes her the most successful Female British Olympic Athlete.
Jason Kenny will indeed be filling big boots as British Cycling has been accused of sexism in the past, they have also carried out unauthorized doping tests by WADA.
Kenny had a lot to share about British Cycling’s culture:
I’d say it’s at a crossroads. If we take the right road we can be successful, a good organization moving forward.
Hopefully a sustainable organization. We’ve had turbulence in the last few years, restructuring, new staff coming in. It’s important we look after the performance but do it in the right way. The next few years are really important.
Being an athlete is really hard. There’s a misconception they’re treated like gods and paid millions. For the most part, being an athlete is really unpleasant. We want to make it as positive as possible. They’re happy to go through it because everyone has that dream of winning. We have to be behind them, supporting them as best we can.
That’s where British Cycling needs to be on the high-performance side. That’s the key – where we position ourselves. It’s important we produce as many happy champions as we can. Everyone is here because they love the sport. We want to nurture that. We don’t want people walking away hating cycling which has happened in the past.
Sir Jason Kenny will be heading British Cycling in a new direction, his phenomenal experience will bring about a new change. Exciting times are certainly ahead of British Cycling. Stay tuned for more updates!
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Featured Image Via Instagram/jasonkenny107
