Kenny graciously reciprocated, expressing that riding alongside young talent has brought a renewed sense of purpose to her career. In Tokyo, she won silver in the team pursuit alongside 25-year-old Knight, but her teammates Lewis (20) and Leech (19) are experiencing their first taste of major success. Kenny admitted that the pressure to help them achieve their first medal was comparable to the nerves she felt in a gold medal ride at the Olympics.
Reflecting on the situation, Kenny shared, “I’ve never felt under so much pressure to win a bronze medal in my whole career. Just the fact that it’s such a young team. Obviously I’ve been really lucky in my career that I’ve had some brilliant experiences and I’ve been able to step up on that podium. And this is their first taste of it, for Maddie and Sophie. So honestly, going into that final, it could have been a gold medal ride at the Olympics, I was that nervous.”
She then praised the positive influence of the younger riders, saying, “But it’s been brilliant. Being able to ride with these youngsters, they bring a completely different, fresh, really enjoyable environment, one that I would say I haven’t [experienced] for the last 18 months-two years, just because the pressure of the Olympics is massive.”
‘They’ll make me feel like a granny’
In the stands, Kenny’s husband and seven-time Olympic champion, Jason Kenny, proudly observed the race. As a GB coach, he held her bike at the start. This was a poignant reminder of how far they’ve come since their romance was publicly known ten years ago, when they were spotted canoodling at the beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade. Now, they have a four-year-old son named Albie.
With a chuckle, Kenny playfully warned her teammates – who now affectionately refer to her as “Ken-dog” – not to ask them about their whereabouts in 2012. “They’ll make me feel like a granny,” she quipped.
Elsewhere in the velodrome, England’s quartet – Charlie Tanfield, Dan Bigham, Ethan Vernon, and Ollie Wood – earned a silver medal in the men’s team pursuit, behind New Zealand. England’s trio – Ryan Owens, Hamish Turnbull, and Joe Truman – secured silver in the men’s team sprint.
Scotland’s Neil Fachie also added to his illustrious Commonwealth career, capturing his fifth gold medal in the Men’s tandem B 1000m time trial. Fachie now joins lawn bowler Alex Marshall as the most successful Scottish athlete in Commonwealth history.
While Kenny did not claim the top step of the podium on this day, there was no denying that she was the star of the opening day’s events.
Commonwealth Games 2022 day one – as it happened
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
