Britain’s most decorated female Olympian Dame Laura Kenny has announced her retirement from professional cycling.
The 31-year-old made the announcement in a post on Instagram.
She wrote: “Thank you cycling for everything you’ve given me – including a husband and our growing family!
“Having people say I have inspired women and girls to get active and get on a bike means the world to me.
“Thanks to Team GB, British Cycling and all the partners who have supported my journey. A special thanks to every team mate I have had over the years and of course to my family for being the best support unit I could ever have wished for.”
Dame Laura added: “It’s now time to move on but stay following for the next chapter.”
She has won five Olympic golds and seven world titles in her career on the track. She is married to former cyclist Jason Kenny, who is the most successful British Olympian.
The couple have two sons – born in 2017 and 2023.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
She suffered a miscarriage in November 2021 before being rushed into surgery two months later with an ectopic pregnancy.
Dame Laura’s retirement comes less than two weeks after British Cycling’s performance director Stephen Park said there was only a “slim chance” of her competing at the Paris Olympics this summer.
She first won gold in the women’s omnium and team pursuit at the London Olympcs in 2012 and repeated this achievement in Rio in 2016.
At the Tokyo Olympics, which was delayed to 2021 because of the pandemic, Kenny won team pursuit silver as well as gold with Katie Archibald in the women’s madison – a new event at that year’s Games.
As well as being the most decorated female Olympian, she also is the first British woman to win gold medals over three consecutive Olympics.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
