Laura Kenny’s dream of winning three medals at the Tokyo Olympics in doubt as cyclist is only passed fit for one event at the World Championships next week
- Laura Kenny’s dream of winning three gold medals at Tokyo is in doubt
- Great Britain’s most successful female Olympian broke her shoulder last month
- She is only fit enough to take part in one event at the World Championships
- Kenny won gold in the team pursuit and individual omnium at in 2012 and 2016
Laura Kenny’s dream of winning three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics is in doubt after she was declared only fit enough to race in one event at next week’s track cycling World Championships.
Great Britain’s most successful female Olympian broke a shoulder when she crashed at a World Cup event in Canada last month.
Kenny, 27, avoided surgery so she could be selected for the omnium in Berlin next week, but she will sit out the team pursuit and the madison.
The cyclist broke a shoulder when she crashed at a World Cup event in Canada last month
And that has put her on the back foot ahead of the Games in July, where she hopes to take her gold tally to seven — more than any Briton has won.
Kenny said: ‘I can physically ride a bike, but I can’t do a madison change. I can do a standing start but it’s a very slow standing start which takes me out of team pursuit as well.
‘I wanted the option to be selected for omnium at the worlds. If I had the operation I wouldn’t have done. I would still be a long way off, even riding the track.
‘The shoulder is a lot less painful than I thought it would be, but it’s taken a lot out of my recovery.’
Kenny won gold in the team pursuit and individual omnium at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Tokyo will be the first time the two-person madison has been part of the women’s track cycling schedule for the Olympics and Kenny is one of four GB girls competing for a place.
Great Britain’s most successful female Olympian hopes to take her gold tally to seven at Tokyo
Elinor Barker and Neah Evans will ride the madison in Berlin with Katie Archibald – who won the event at the 2018 World Championships with Emily Nelson – the other woman missing out.
While Kenny is still likely to be selected in the team pursuit for Tokyo if fit, her chances of competing in the madison now look slim, especially if Barker and Evans perform well in Berlin.
In the men’s team, Great Britain’s rising star Ethan Hayter, 21, has also been dealt a blow in his bid to ride all three events at Tokyo.
He has been selected for the team pursuit at the World Championships, which will be spearheaded by veteran three-time Olympic champion Ed Clancy, as well as the madison with Ollie Wood.
Hater has been overlooked for the omnium at next week’s track cycling World Championships
But Hayter has been overlooked for the omnium in favour of Matt Walls despite winning bronze in the event at last year’s World Championships in Poland.
British Cycling selectors do not have to decide which riders will race in which events until they are actually out in Tokyo.
But cyclists view the selection for the World Championship as a major indicator into their chances of being picked for events at the Games.