Tokyo 2020: ‘11 gold medals and fantastic parents’ - Bradley Wiggins lauds Britain’s golden couple Laura and Jason Kenny
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Updated 06/08/2021 at 14:25 GMT
They both manage to juggle athlete’s lives and all the training that goes into that as well as being fantastic parents. They do a brilliant job of doing that because it’s not easy at the best of times," Bradley Wiggins said of British cycling legends Laura and Jason Kenny. You want it? We have it. Stream every Olympic event live on discovery+.
'I wouldn't put it past Kenny winning all three golds back in Paris' - Wiggins
Bradley Wiggins heralded the remarkable achievements of Laura and Jason Kenny, who now have 11 Olympic gold medals between them after Laura’s madison gold alongside Katie Archibald on Friday.
“Let’s not forget that her and Jason have a child at home,” Wiggins said from track-side at the Izu Velodrome.
“We saw her afterwards crying at the side here because someone mentioned his name and she was just trying to get through all of the interviews without having to be reminded of their son back home.
They both manage to juggle athlete’s lives and all the training that goes into that as well as being fantastic parents. They do a brilliant job of doing that because it’s not easy at the best of times.
“Just as a pairing now, the gold medals they have between them, I think they are on 11 now between them which is quite something.”
And Wiggins has backed both to go on and win further medals, with events still to come in Japan and the next Olympic Games just three years away.
“Laura is still relatively young don’t forget, she’s still got another Olympics in her, maybe two if she chooses to,” Wiggins said.
She won double gold in London, double gold in Rio, and she’s on for double gold here, because let’s not forget she’s got another event to come in defending her omnium crown.
“Paris is three years away and Jason has already said that he wants to carry on until Paris. I’m sure Laura will.”
And Wiggins added that Laura Kenny is a truly great technical rider.
"She is one of the classiest acts when she’s on a bike, just aesthetically when she’s on a bicycle," Wiggins said.
"You don’t get an impression of the effort she’s making, she makes it look easy. And for me that’s greatness.
Being great at something is making something very hard look very easy, and she does it to perfection.
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Katie Archibald and Laura Kenny after winning madison gold at Tokyo 2020
Image credit: Getty Images
“Is that the same as you now?” joked Kenny as she spoke to Eurosport’s Bradley Wiggins after the race, equalling his number of five Olympic golds – four on the track and one on the road in his case.
“It is, you better retire now,” he replied with a smile.
'I barely even had to speak to Katie'
Arguably none of Kenny’s Olympic medals have come from a performance as dominant as her one alongside Archibald in the madison.
“Honestly, I’ve never felt so in control of a race in all my life,” she said after winning gold.
“I feel like we did it so many times I barely even had to speak to Katie.
“When we were learning this, maybe eight or nine months ago, I just didn’t really know what to do. I knew I had to be there but the partnership wasn’t gelling.
“We just did it so many times with our U23 lads and our junior lads. I just felt like we repeated a race that we’ve now done three or four times.”
Laura Kenny's Olympic medals
- 2012 London, Omnium - Gold
- 2012 London, Team Pursuit - Gold
- 2016 Rio, Omnium - Gold
- 2016 Rio, Team Pursuit - Gold
- 2020 Toyko, Team Pursuit - Silver
- 2020 Tokyo, Madison - Gold
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