Jason Kenny

For the Canadian politician, see Jason Kenney.

Sir Jason Kenny
CBE

Kenny in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Jason Francis Kenny
Born	(1988-03-23) 23 March 1988 (age 36) Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) [1]
Weight	80 kg (176 lb) [1]
Team information
Discipline	Track
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprinter
Professional team
2008–2013	Team Sky+ HD
Medal record Representing   Great Britain Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 7 2 0 World Championships 3 5 2 European Games 0 0 1 European Championships 1 2 3 Commonwealth Games 0 2 0 Total 11 11 6 Olympic Games 2008 Beijing Team sprint 2012 London Team sprint 2012 London Sprint 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team sprint 2016 Rio de Janeiro Sprint 2016 Rio de Janeiro Keirin 2020 Tokyo Keirin 2008 Beijing Sprint 2020 Tokyo Team sprint World Championships 2011 Apeldoorn Sprint 2013 Minsk Keirin 2016 London Sprint 2009 Pruszków Team sprint 2011 Apeldoorn Team sprint 2012 Melbourne Sprint 2018 Apeldoorn Team sprint 2020 Berlin Team sprint 2010 Ballerup Team sprint 2012 Melbourne Keirin European Games 2019 Minsk Team sprint European Championships 2010 Pruszków Keirin 2013 Apeldoorn Keirin 2019 Apeldoorn Team sprint 2010 Pruszków Sprint 2010 Pruszków Team sprint 2013 Apeldoorn Sprint Representing   England Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow Team sprint 2014 Glasgow Sprint

Sir Jason Francis Kenny (born 23 March 1988) is a British former ^[2] track cyclist, specialising in the individual and team sprints. Kenny is the holder of most Olympic gold medals (7) and medals (9) for a British athlete. Kenny's seven Olympic gold medals place him joint 15th by reference to gold medals won in the Summer Olympic games since 1896. He is the single holder of the records for both most Olympic golds and Olympic medals for a cyclist.

With seven gold and two silver medals, Kenny is the most successful British Olympian, most successful British cyclist, and the most successful cyclist, in Olympic history. His wife, Laura Kenny, holds the same records on the female side (five gold and one silver), and together they are the most successful married couple in Summer Olympic history where both spouses have won at least one gold medal (with 12 gold and 3 silver medals between them).

After winning World and European Junior titles in 2006 and achieving medals in the under-23 European championships in 2007, Kenny was selected to compete for Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. ^[3] With Chris Hoy and Jamie Staff, he won a gold medal in the team sprint, breaking the world record in the qualifying round. ^[4] He finished behind Hoy in the final of the individual sprint, gaining a silver medal.

In January 2012, he gained his first world championship title, when Grégory Baugé's results were nullified after a backdated 12-month ban for missing a drugs test, and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) promoted Kenny to the gold medal. ^{[5] [6]} At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he won gold medals in both the team sprint and the individual sprint, beating Baugé in the final. At the 2016 Summer Olympics Kenny again won in the Team Sprint and the Individual Sprint, and also won the Keirin. In the 2020 Summer Olympics he won the Keirin again.

Early life

Kenny was born on 23 March 1988. ^[7] Kenny's parents are Lorraine and Michael Kenny, and he has an older brother, Craig. ^[8] He was educated at Mount St Joseph School in Farnworth. ^[9] In the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games, Kenny visited the school and praised the support he had received from his PE teachers. ^[8]

He was a keen sportsperson during his youth, showing ability as a football goalkeeper as well as playing cricket and tennis, but having learned to ride a bicycle at a young age, became involved in track racing when he and his brother attended a track session at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, when an uncle had booked a session and had some spare places. ^[7]

Career

Future Stars series

Kenny's first track competition was when he competed in the Future Stars series, a junior competition held as part of the Revolution series at the Manchester Velodrome. Kenny competed in a number of the ad hoc events during the first season of the Revolution in 2003/2004. In the second season, he competed in the first fully-fledged Future Series competition, taking part in a number of sprint and endurance events for 15- and 16-year-olds, during the season of four track meetings. The series provided young people with the chance to compete in front of a crowd from an early age; it is known for providing opportunity for many young riders. When the 2004/2005 season finished in February 2005, Kenny was in the top 10 of the final standings.^{[ citation needed ]}

2005–2007

During the 2005/2006 racing season, Kenny competed for Great Britain at a junior level as a sprinter and won world titles at the junior world championships. In the 2006/2007 season, he competed at a senior level for the team and took part in a number of World Cup Classics events across the world and Revolution events in Manchester, against some of the world's best Sprint riders. In the Revolution events in the 2007/2008 season, Kenny beat the world champion Theo Bos.^{[ citation needed ]}

2008

Kenny made his debut in the world championships in 2008, finishing fifth overall in the sprint competition. In the Olympic Games, he made the team sprint squad, replacing Ross Edgar at man 2 in the team just before the Games. The team defeated the French team that had beaten them to the world title in Manchester only months earlier by over half a second. In the sprint competition, Kenny reached the final, but was defeated by his teammate Chris Hoy 2–0. His rise as a cyclist had been rapid. He had progressed from competing in a domestic junior series to Olympic Champion in only 3 and a half years.^{[ citation needed ]}

Kenny was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. ^[10]

2009–2012

In the season following the 2008 Games, Kenny scored three gold medals in the 2008–09 Track Cycling World Cup Classics, and took a silver in the team sprint at the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships alongside Jamie Staff and Matthew Crampton, losing out to France. In 2010 he took his first title at the European Track Championships, winning the gold in the keirin. At the 2012 World Championships, Kenny took a silver in the sprint behind Grégory Baugé and a bronze in the keirin. ^[7]

2012 Olympics

Kenny (front) and Chris Hoy during the team sprint at the 2012 Olympic Games

At the London 2012 Olympic Games Kenny won gold in the team sprint with Chris Hoy and Philip Hindes, setting a new world record in the London Velopark with a time of 42.6 seconds. ^{[11] [12]} He also won gold in the men's sprint final, setting a new Olympic record in qualifying and avenging his previous losses to Baugé with a 200m time of 10.308s in his final lap. Kenny was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to cycling. ^{[13] [14]}

2013–2016

Following the 2012 Olympics Kenny competed at the 2013 World Championships, in the individual sprint and Team Sprint races he finished 7th and 6th respectively. He won the keirin event. ^[15]

His 2013–14 season started with national titles in all three Olympic sprint, team sprint and the keirin. At the first round of the UCI Track World Cup he failed to qualify for the sprint event, whilst finishing 4th in the Keirin and winning a bronze medal in the Team Sprint. At the second round of the World Cup, he secured silver medals in the Sprint and Team Sprint, but did not contest the Keirin. The World Cup/Championships season finished with the UCI World Championships where he failed to secure any medals, finishing 5th in all three events he contested.

At the Commonwealth Games he won a silver medal in the Team Sprint. In the Sprint event he qualified 11th out of 12 qualifiers, and went on to lose his first round against Eddie Dawkins of New Zealand. This left him in the repechage, where he beat his Great Britain teammates Callum Skinner and Lewis Oliva to make it to the 1/8 finals. Despite his poor form in the early rounds, in the 1/8 round he beat Matthew Glaetzer, the fastest qualifier (qualifying almost half a second quicker) and holder of the Commonwealth record, in two straight rides, to secure his way into the semi-finals, where he beat Peter Lewis after three rides. In the final he won a silver medal, losing 2–1 to Sam Webster.

In the 2014–15 UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Kenny took a gold in the team sprint in the round in Guadalajara. 2015 brought national titles in the 1 km time trial and the team sprint. In the run up to the Rio Olympics, he was part of the squad that won gold in the Hong Kong round of the 2015–16 Track World Cup alongside Hindes and Skinner and went on to win the gold in the sprint at the 2016 Track World Championships in London, defeating Matthew Glaetzer 2–1 in the final. ^[7]

2016 Summer Olympics

At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Kenny won gold in the men's team sprint with Philip Hindes and Callum Skinner. ^[16] The trio broke the world record twice in the Olympic competition, first in qualifying and again in the final against New Zealand, after the latter had set a new world record themselves in the first round. ^[7] He won gold in the men's individual sprint, beating Callum Skinner in the final ^[17] after losing just one ride, to eventual bronze medallist Denis Dmitriev in the semi-finals. ^[7] On 16 August Kenny won the gold medal in the final of the men's Keirin after the race was re-started twice due to derny infringements, ^[7] to join Chris Hoy as the holder of 6 Olympic gold medals, more than any other GB athlete. ^[18]

Kenny was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to cycling. ^[19]

2017–2020

Following the Rio Games, Kenny made an unannounced retirement from competition, later stating that this was due to the physical and mental toll of cycle racing. However, after a year away from the track and the birth of his first child he decided to return to racing, stating in an interview in September 2017 that the break had "refreshed" him. ^[20] Kenny made his comeback at a round of the Revolution series at Manchester Velodrome in January 2018, setting the fastest time in sprint qualifying ahead of a field that included rival Grégory Baugé and placing second in the sprint and keirin competitions. ^[21] He returned to international championship competition at the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn, where he was part of the silver medal-winning squad in the team sprint alongside Hindes, Jack Carlin, Ryan Owens and Joseph Truman, earning Team GB's first team sprint medal at the World Championships since 2011. Kenny, Carlin and Owens went on to earn two further team sprint silvers at the 2019 UEC European Track Championships, also held in Apeldoorn, and the 2020 World Championships on Berlin. ^[7]

2020 Summer Olympics

At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021, Kenny, Carlin and Owens took another team sprint silver, losing out to the Dutch team in the final. Although this was Kenny's first loss in an Olympic final, the medal made him Britain's most successful Olympian. ^[22] In the sprint, he placed eighth in qualifying, and his bid to defend his title received a setback when he lost in the 1/8 finals to Denis Dmitriev: although he was able to secure a slot in the quarter finals by winning the repechage, he was knocked out in the last eight by Harrie Lavreysen, losing 2–0 to the Dutchman before finishing last in the small final, securing eighth place overall. ^[23] In the keirin, Kenny took the gold medal after going on the attack when the derny pulled off the track with three laps to go, building on a gap that had already appeared between himself and the rest of the field led by Matthew Glaetzer and holding on to the lead to cross the finish line with a gap of over three quarters of a second over the second placed Azizulhasni Awang. The win gave him his seventh gold medal and ninth medal overall, making him the British Olympian with most golds and most medals. ^[24]

Kenny was made a Knight Bachelor in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to cycling, and therefore granted the title sir . ^[25] His wife Laura was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the same list, also for services to cycling. ^[26] In February of that year, Kenny announced that he was retiring from competition in order to take the role of men's podium sprint coach with British Cycling. ^{[2] [27]}

Personal life

On 24 September 2016, Kenny married the track cyclist Laura Trott. ^{[28] [29]} As of 2016, the couple live near Knutsford in Cheshire. ^[30] On 14 February 2017, it was announced that the couple were expecting their first child; their son Albie was born on 23 August 2017. ^{[31] [32]} In November 2021, his wife suffered a miscarriage at nine weeks, and in January 2022, his wife suffered an ectopic pregnancy. ^[33] In January 2023, it was announced that they were expecting their second child. ^[34]

Kenny is a motorsport enthusiast and has participated in car racing in his spare time, including racing a Ginetta G40, and scored a podium finish in a round of the Radical European Masters at the Nürburgring in 2014. ^[7]

Taken together, Jason and Laura Kenny have won 12 Olympic gold medals, which places them among the most successful Olympic medalist families of all time. He was knighted in the 2022 New Year Honours List. His wife received a damehood at the same time. ^[35]

Major results

Source: ^[7]

2005

1st Team sprint, National Track Championships

2006

UCI Track World Cup

1st Team sprint (Moscow)

3rd Team sprint (Los Angeles)

UCI Junior Track World Championships

1st Sprint

1st Team sprint

1st Keirin

2007

UEC European Under–23 Track Championships

3rd Sprint

3rd Team sprint

2008

Olympic Games

1st Team sprint

2nd Sprint

UCI Track World Cup

1st Sprint (Manchester)

1st Team sprint (Manchester)

2nd Keirin (Manchester)

2009

UCI Track World Cup

1st Team sprint (Copenhagen)

2nd Team sprint (Manchester)

3rd Sprint (Manchester)

2nd Team sprint, Track World Championships

UEC European Under–23 Track Championships

2nd Keirin

2nd Sprint

2nd Team sprint

2010

UEC European Track Championships

1st Keirin

3rd Sprint

3rd Team sprint

1st Team sprint, National Track Championships

3rd Team sprint, UCI Track World Championships

1st Team sprint,

2011

UCI Track World Championships

1st Sprint

2nd Team sprint

UCI Track World Cup Classics

2nd Sprint (Manchester)

3rd Team sprint (Manchester)

2012

Olympic Games

1st Sprint

1st Team sprint

UCI Track World Championships

2nd Sprint

3rd Keirin

UCI Track World Cup

2nd Team sprint (Glasgow)

3rd Team sprint (London)

2013

1st Keirin, UCI Track World Championships

National Track Championships

1st Keirin

1st Sprint

1st Team sprint

UEC European Track Championships

2nd Keirin

3rd Sprint

UCI Track World Cup

2nd Sprint (Aguascalientes)

2nd Team sprint (Aguascalientes)

3rd Team sprint (Manchester)

2014

1st Team Sprint, National Track Championships

Commonwealth Games

2nd Sprint

2nd Team sprint

UCI Track World Cup

1st Team sprint (Guadalajara)

2nd Sprint (Guadalajara)

2015

National Track Championships

1st Kilo

1st Team sprint

2016

Olympic Games

1st Team sprint

1st Sprint

1st Keirin

1st Sprint, UCI Track World Championships

UCI Track World Cup

1st Team sprint (Hong Kong)

3rd Sprint (Hong Kong)

2018

2nd Team sprint, UCI Track World Championships

2019

2nd Team sprint, UEC European Track Championships

2020

2nd Team sprint, UCI Track World Championships

2021

Olympic Games

1st Keirin

2nd Team sprint

See also

• 2012 Olympics gold post boxes in the United Kingdom

References

1. "Athlete Biography – KENNY Jason". Beijing Olympics official website. Archived from the original on 1 September 2008.
2. "Jason Kenny: Great Britain's most successful Olympian retires". BBC Sport . 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
3. Kenny gets nod as France vs Britain grudge match looms American Broadcasting Company; 15 August 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008
4. "Awesome GB sprint team take gold". BBC Sport. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
5. Stokes, Shane (6 January 2012). "UCI confirms Jason Kenny, Germany are upgraded to 2011 world track champions". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
6. "Baugé and France lose World track titles". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
7. "Jason Kenny biography". British Cycling. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
8. Bardsley, Andrew (17 August 2016). "Jason Kenny's parents on what it's like to watch your son smash Olympic records"..
9. Kelly, Angela (3 July 2013). "Jason Kenny's parents reveal secret to Olympic hero's success". Bolton News. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
10. "No. 58929". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2008. p. 19.
11. "Joy as three golds push Team GB up medals table". BBC News. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
12. "Chris Hoy claims fifth Olympic gold medal as Britain win team sprint". The Guardian. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
13. "No. 60367". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 24.
14. "2013 New Year's Honours" (PDF). Retrieved 29 December 2012.
15. Fotheringham, William (22 February 2013). "Jason Kenny wins keirin world title after Simon Yates' points gold". The Guardian . Retrieved 19 October 2015.
16. "Rio Olympics 2016: Great Britain win third straight team sprint gold". BBC Sport . BBC. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
17. "Rio Olympics 2016: Jason Kenny beats Callum Skinner to win back-to-back Olympic titles". BBC Sport . BBC. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
18. "Rio Olympics 2016: Laura Trott, Jason Kenny, Giles Scott golds for GB on day 11". BBC Sport . BBC. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
19. "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N9.
20. Roan, Dan (26 September 2017). "Jason Kenny: Six-time Olympic champion returns after secret retirement". bbc.co.uk . Retrieved 8 August 2021.
21. Wynn, Nigel (8 January 2018). "Jason Kenny makes successful track return at Revolution (gallery)". Cycling Weekly . Retrieved 8 August 2021.
22. Pender, Kieran (3 August 2021). "Laura and Jason Kenny win silver medals in Olympic team cycling finals". theguardian.com . Retrieved 8 August 2021.
23. "Olympics: Jason Kenny's reign as Individual Sprint champion ends in Tokyo". cyclingnews.com . 5 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
24. McCurry, Justin (8 August 2021). "Jason Kenny's seventh gold makes him most decorated GB Olympian". theguardian.com . Retrieved 8 August 2021.
25. "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N2.
26. "New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021.
27. Aarons, Ed (24 February 2022). "'I creak quite a lot': Jason Kenny calls time on record-breaking cycling career". theguardian.com . Retrieved 24 February 2022.
28. "Olympic cyclists Jason Kenny and Laura Trott marry". The Guardian . 25 September 2016.
29. "Olympics golden couple Jason Kenny and Laura Trott marry in private". BBC News . 25 September 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
30. Fordyce, Tom (17 August 2016). "Rio Olympics 2016: Laura Trott & Jason Kenny – Britain's golden couple". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
31. Ruby, Jennifer (26 September 2017). "Jason and Laura Kenny celebrate baby Albert's christening on their first wedding anniversary". Evening Standard. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
32. "Laura Kenny and husband Jason expecting first child". BBC News. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
33. "Laura Kenny: Cyclist had miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy in past five months". BBC Sport. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
34. "Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny expecting second child". BBC Sport. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
35. "Jason and Laura Kenny given knighthood and damehood in New Year Honours List". www.teamgb.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.

External links

Media related to Jason Kenny at Wikimedia Commons

• Jason Kenny at UCI
• Jason Kenny at Cycling Archives (archived)
• Jason Kenny at ProCyclingStats
• Jason Kenny at CycleBase
• Jason Kenny at Olympics.com