Jason Kenny
Jason Kenny MBE is already a multiple World and Olympic medallist, and this summer he produced another brilliant performance to win his second Olympic Gold.
Fast facts:
- Jason was only 20 when he won Olympic Gold & Silver in Beijing
- Jason has been a member of British Cycling all the way from Go-Ride to the Olympics.
Jason was talent-spotted whilst riding for his local Go-Ride Club in Bolton, and has since followed the paths of the British Cycling Podium Programmes, rising through the Talent Team, the Development and Academy Programmes, before finally earning his place on the prestigious Podium Programme in 2008.
Having won numerous World and European titles as a junior, Jason took a massive leap in 2008 when he was selected for the Olympic squad and found himself on the plane to Beijing. He was selected for the team sprint, alongside seasoned sprinters Jamie Staff and Chris Hoy, and got his first taste of Olympic victory at just 20 years of age. Another Olympic medal was soon to follow in the form of a Silver medal in the sprint, where he competed against Chris Hoy and narrowly missed out in the final. Jason certainly gave the Scot a run for his money, with Hoy commenting after the race that 'beating him was really tough – it was probably the hardest race of my life.'
Jason was awarded his first World Sprint Championship title in 2012 (for the 2011 championships) after Frenchman Gregory Bauge was stripped of the title after infringing anti-doping rules.
In 2012 Kenny and Bauge found themselves in the sprint final once again at the World Championships in Melbourne. This time Bauge came out on top, but Jason will have his chance to gain revenge after he was chosen, ahead of Chris Hoy, for the sprint at London 2012.
In London 2012, Jason competing alongside Hoy and Philip Hindes won the Team Sprint in a World Record time to secure his second Olympic Gold. Jason followed this up by becoming the first GB double Gold medallist by winning Gold in the indivdual sprint. Jason has since been nicknamed 'King Kenny' and is perfectly set to take up the mantle left by Sir Chris Hoy.
