Olympian Dame Laura Kenny announces retirement at 31 to focus on growing family

Dame Laura Kenny, the esteemed British track cyclist, has bid farewell to her illustrious career at the age of 31. The five-time Olympic gold winner and holder of seven World Championship titles, Laura, announced her retirement from cycling on Monday, March 18, 2023.

In an exclusive interview with BBC Breakfast, Dame Laura Kenny suggested that she knew an opportune moment would arrive for her retirement decision. She said,

"I always knew deep down I would know when the right time was."

Laura married Jason Kenny, a British Olympian cyclist, in 2016. The couple has two sons, and their second child was born in July 2023.

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Olympic champion Dame Laura Kenny announces retirement at 31

The 31-year-old five-time gold Olympic champion in cycling announced her retirement on BBC Breakfast on March 18, 2024. In an interview about her cycling career, she told BBC that now it is her time to "hang that bike up."

"I have had an absolute blast but now is the time for me to hang that bike up."

Laura Kenny, formerly Laura Trott, was targeting the fourth Olympics in Paris this year before her marriage to fellow cyclist Jason Kenny in 2016. However, in July 2023, she gave birth to her second child.

In the same interview, Dame Laura Kenny suggested that being away from loved ones, particularly children, can be emotionally challenging and demanding. She said,

"It's been in my head a little while, the sacrifices of leaving the children and your family at home are really quite big and it really is a big decision to make."

Laura added,

"More and more, I was struggling to do that. More people asking me what races was I doing, what training camps was I going on - I didn't want to go ultimately and that's what it came down to."

Moreover, she expressed feeling relieved speaking to Jason about leaving cycling and focusing on family. She added,

"I knew the minute I was getting those feelings. Once I said to Jase, I don't think I want to ride a bike any more, I started to feel relief."

In 2017, Laura gave birth to her first child, Albie; embracing motherhood, she returned to cycling. However, in 2021, she had a miscarriage, and months later, she had an ectopic pregnancy. It is a type of pregnancy when a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus, as per Mayo Clinic. However, in July 2023, she gave birth to Monty, her second son.

This year, 2024, Dame Laura Kenny had a "slim chance" of competing in Paris, as British Cycling performance director Stephen Park said in March 2024. Speaking about this year's Olympics to BBC, Laura said that she did not have the energy to have it anymore.

"I was getting these hesitant feelings. Going on to win another gold medal, as much as I would love to do that, it wasn't giving me the energy I wanted any more, it just wasn't. I wasn't thinking, I really want to go on and win one. I was thinking, I really want to stay at home with the children."

Dame Laura Kenny is the most celebrated Olympic cycling champion. She has five Olympic gold medals and seven World Championship titles, and she is a 14-time European champion. She has also won two Commonwealth Games titles, and in 2014, she was the British National Road Race champion.