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Hero happy to be home

28/ 8/2008

SALFORD Olympic hero Chris Hoy is delighted to be back home and to have returned to normality after his amazing performances in Beijing.

Gold medal hat-trick king Hoy is back on British soil and preparing for a homecoming performance in the inaugural Salford Nocturne this Saturday, August 30.

The 32-year-old Scotsman, who lives off Ordsall Lane, Salford, said: "To be honest, what happened out there hasn’t really sunk in.

"I think it’ll only be when I have been back home for a while and had the chance to relax and reflect that I’ll appreciate what we’ve done.

"I’m delighted to be back home and able to do normal things – to be able to see friends, to have a beer without worrying about it. I am physically and mentally drained.

"The main emotion is less exhilaration and more a mix of relief and exhaustion.

"For the first time in months I’m able to walk up a flight of stairs without worrying whether my legs feel tired.

"To finally get it all finished is a wonderful feeling. I can pinpoint times in the last four years when I’ve gone through real suffering.

"Certain sessions I’ve done have been simply horrendous.

"The only thing that gets you through is the thought of the Olympics and the gold medal. I’m going to take a big break now before I decide what to do next.

"I’ve got a holiday booked in November and I won’t start discussing the future until then.

"Every day for as long as I can remember I’ve woken up thinking about nothing else but the Olympics. It feels weird that I don’t have to any more."

Hoy was shocked at the lack of competition Team GB faced on the cycling track in Beijing.

"We battered the other teams into submission," he said. "You could see their morale was completely dented. I was surprised at how badly some of them performed.

"Some of them didn’t even reach the levels they had at the World Championships in Manchester. That couldn’t be a physical thing because you’d aim to peak for the Olympics. I think it was mental.

"When they saw how our team was riding everyone else just started to crack."

Hoy, who is expected to launch another gold medal assault at the 2012 London Olympics, had the honour of being chosen to carry Great Britain’s flag at the Beijing Games’ closing ceremony on Sunday.