Meet the Kennys: The golden couple of Team GB on records, parenthood and packing

Jason and Laura showing off their Rio 2016 haul
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The Kenny household boasts 10 Olympic gold medals, a haul that would have been the equivalent of eighth place in the medal table at the last Games.

The husband and wife have a shot at adding three more to their respective CVs in Tokyo, with Jason just one medal away from becoming Britain’s most decorated Olympian of all time - and arguably its most unassuming.

Of the idea that overhauling Sir Bradley Wiggins in the record books might act as a motivating factor, he said: “No, not really. We’re so obsessed about getting everything right performance-wise on the day that all that gets put to one side, even the winning. We just don’t plan anything beyond the day of the race.”

His wife Laura agrees he is comfortably the most laid-back person she knows, in direct contrast to herself, a four-time Olympic champion.

She said: “He’s just so blasé about things. We were leaving on Saturday for our holding camp and he came back home on Friday at 5pm with his kit. I’d had mine packed for two weeks! He’s just so laid back.”

A magical 2016 Olympics for the pair
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Whatever his approach, it seems to have worked. British Cycling has become renowned for peaking at each Olympics; Kenny, who has endured offseasons in between, perhaps the archetypal case in point.

Of his knack over timing, he said: “I seem to get it right every four years. I’m hopeful the year delay doesn’t knock my natural cycle!”

As for whether that delay has helped him at the age of 33 or not is a moot point, one he can’t currently answer. “A year’s such a long time in the life of an athlete,” he said. “It will help someone and hurt someone else. I can’t tell what side we’re on until we race. But I’m personally quite happy where I am. Hopefully, we’ll be in a good place relative to everyone.”

For Laura, the 12-month extension could not have been more fortuitous. She broke her shoulder and arm and the healing taking longer than expected, to the extent she does not believe she would have been able to compete in one of her events, the Madison.

The ultimate aim at the end of the track action would be to add a trio of golds but, speaking at the holding camp in Newport, Wales, with all the new-for-Tokyo equipment, she was making no targets.

“I don’t like talking about medals,” she said. “I hope we go in in good form but I just don’t know.” With relatively limited racing between the nations in Covid times, making predictions has its challenges.

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Athletics - Olympics: Day 7
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If either of them feel the weight of expectation as the two biggest names within the medal factor of British Cycling’s track programme, it doesn’t show. Jason insists he has always just shut it out.

“I don’t think either of us have ever really been aware of the pressure,” he said. “In the Olympics, once you’re in the village or holding camp you’re in a little cocoon and no one gets close to you. It’s a funny little world.

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“At London 2012, I had no idea of the people around me. I could see and hear people making noise but I just thought ‘that’s 6,000 nutters’. Only afterwards do you realise because you’re so protected from that and the pressure. But of course there’s pressure – you’ve got to be the best in the world and that’s a ridiculously hard thing to do.”

For Laura, the pressure is eased by having her laid-back husband around, giving reassurance at every turn. “It’s silly little things really,” she said. “I had a new wheel at the holding camp and felt really unsure on it. Jason just swapped. That’s the sort of thing he does for me.”

The hardship for husband and wife has been leaving three-year-old son Albie behind under the Covid restrictions. He was at least allowed into their bubble at the holding camp, which has helped to limit the time apart as a family.

Dad is of the view that while it’s a hardship, “this is what we signed up for and he’ll have a whale of a time spoilt rotten by his grandparents”.

The year delay has given Albie a greater awareness of what mum and dad do, something which came into sharp focus in the mother’s race at his school where there wasn’t to be a Kenny celebration.

“When I didn’t win, he was like ‘mummy didn’t win,’ so he definitely gets the winning and losing bit,” he said. “And it’s nice he understands that a bit more but I think he gets a little bit confused by the whole Olympics thing.”

The hope for both Kennys is their young son will be commenting on the winning, not losing on their return home.

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