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Ready to be a hero again

Dave Lawrenson
7/ 8/2008

SALFORD’S Chris Hoy is looking to cement his status as a genuine track cycling superstar by winning three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics later this month.

The 32-year-old, who is from Scotland but now lives at Salford Quays, has landed Olympic, world and Commonwealth titles as well as an MBE during his glittering career.

But he is still hungry for more glory – which is bad news for his opponents in China.

And he goes into the sporting extravaganza in fantastic form having broke two personal bests in his practice sessions in Beijing.

Hoy, whose Olympic record reads one gold medal in Athens (2004) and one silver medal in Sydney (2000), said: "I still have the same motivation.

"I have broken two personal bests on the flying 200 metres. And personal bests do wonders for your morale. To be at the top of my form just days before Beijing is a wonderful feeling.

"The quality of every single effort I put in on the track now is vital. You have to be hitting the right numbers every lap – there is simply no room for cruising."

Hoy will not be able to defend his kilometre crown in Beijing as that event has been dropped from the Olympic programme.

He will instead contest the kierin – a 2,000 metres race that sees a motorcycle pacer bringing riders up to speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour – next Saturday, August 16. Hoy will be going for gold in the team sprints the day before the kierin contest and he will then turn his attentions to the individual sprints.

He is ranked number one in the world in the kilometre and kierin disciplines. And he won sprint and kierin world titles in Manchester earlier this year to take his total number of world championship medals to 18.

Hoy, who turned professional in 1999, is the only racer to have won world championship titles in every sprint discipline – kilometre, kierin, individual sprint and team sprint. And he is the fulcrum of a highly successful track team that shoulders a lot of Great Britain’s Olympic medal hopes.

The Salford resident feels sure that the team is up to the challenge.

He said: "Everything we’ve achieved in the last four years – the personal bests and the world championship gold medals – now feels like a stepping stone to this moment. This is the top of the mountain for us. And if we’re as strong in Beijing as we should be, it will take an outstanding performance to beat us."

Swinton’s Michelle Rogers is another 32-year-old who is busy training for the Games in Beijing.

The judo ace will be in action next Thursday, August 14.

She said: "My aims and ambitions are to fulfil my potential so I can leave Beijing feeling satisfied.

"But I don’t put the same pressure on myself as I used to. I know I am capable of winning whatever colour medal I want."

Rogers has competed in the Olympics before – in Atlanta 12 years ago. The 2007 European Championship bronze medallist narrowly failed to qualify for the 2000 and 2004 Games but she is no stranger to competing in Beijing having won a World University Games gold medal there in 2001.

Meanwhile, Salford Quays-based rower Olivia Whitlam will compete in the women’s pairs event in Beijing with Louisa Reeve.

The 22-year-old, who is originally from Warrington, was given a late call-up to the Games.

The 2007 world under-23s rowing champion said: "It is every athlete’s dream to be selected for the Olympic Games so I am absolutely delighted to have received the call-up for Beijing."