Laura Kenny has reflected on what it was like to be a new mum while training for Tokyo 2020.
The track and road cyclist picked up her fifth Olympic gold medal at this year’s games, and she carried the flag for Team GB at the closing ceremony over the weekend.
In a post shared on Instagram, Kenny revealed that there have been times when she wondered if training for Tokyo was worth “sacrificing time” away from her son Albie, who she had with her fellow Olympian husband Jason in 2017.
The athlete started the post by saying that Tokyo 2020 had been a “delight” and that she “couldn’t be more proud” to have been the Team GB flag bearer.
“This cycle I put my body through the most incredible journey. I grew a human!” Kenny continued. “There were times I thought I would never make it back.
“There were times I wondered why I was sacrificing time away from my baby. There were times I thought I would never get selected.”
Kenny thanked her family, who she called “the best babysitters in the world” and her team-mates for “always picking me back up”.
She also said she “couldn’t be prouder” of her husband, Jason Kenny, who is now Britain’s most decorated Olympian.
“But there is one little man I cannot wait to see,” she added, “Albie sausage I hope your proud of mummy.”
Speaking about what Tokyo 2020 has meant to her, Kenny said after the closing ceremony: “The past 18 months have been tough for everyone, and I really hope me and my Team GB team-mates have given the nation something to celebrate.
“It hasn’t quite sunk in that I am now Britain’s most successful female athlete, all I know is that I’ve worked so hard to be here and I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, friends and everyone at British Cycling.”
