Dame Laura, who is married to fellow Olympic champion Sir Jason Kenny, has not ruled out the possibility of appearing at the Paris 2024 Olympics, which will take place only 10 months after the World Championships. She said she would never say never and would try to see if she could make it to her fourth Games.
Remarkable comeback from previous pregnancies
Dame Laura, who is 31 years old, has already made a remarkable comeback from her previous pregnancies. She had her first son, Albie, in 2017 and then suffered a miscarriage in November 2021 and an ectopic pregnancy in January 2022. Despite these setbacks, she managed to return to the top level of cycling and win two medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She won the gold medal in the madison event with her partner Katie Archibald, becoming the first British woman to win gold in three consecutive Olympics. She also won the silver medal in the team pursuit, where she and her teammates were beaten by a world record-breaking German team.
Competitive squad and limited opportunities
However, Dame Laura faces a tough challenge to make it to Paris 2024, as she will have to compete with a very strong and competitive squad of British female endurance riders. She will also have limited opportunities to race at the elite level before the Olympics, as the cycling calendar has been disrupted by the pandemic and the short gap between the Games.
British Cycling performance director Stephen Park has stated that it is unlikely for Dame Laura to be ready for Paris 2024, and that her realistic target is the 2024 World Championships, which will be held in October next year in Glasgow. He said that Dame Laura was motivated to come back to the bike, but that she needed time to settle in after having her baby.
Coaching role for Sir Jason Kenny
Meanwhile, Dame Laura’s husband, Sir Jason Kenny, who is Britain’s most successful Olympian with seven gold medals, has taken up a coaching role for the men’s sprint team. He will be in Glasgow this week for the UCI World Cycling Championships, which will start tomorrow and run until August 13. Sir Jason, who is 34 years old, has not announced his retirement from cycling, but has hinted that he might not compete at Paris 2024.
Sir Jason said he was enjoying his new role as a coach, and that he wanted to help the young sprinters to develop and improve. He said he was still training and riding, but that he was not focused on the Olympics at the moment.
