Chris Hoy
Encyclopedia
Sir Christopher Andrew "Chris" Hoy, MBE (born 23 March 1976 in Edinburgh
, Scotland
) is a Scottish
track cyclist
representing Great Britain and Scotland. He is a multiple world champion and Olympic Games
gold medal
winner. With his three gold medals in Beijing 2008
, Hoy became Scotland's most successful Olympian, the first Briton to win three gold medals in a single Olympic games since Henry Taylor
, in 1908
, and the most successful Olympic male cyclist of all time.
, an independent school
in Edinburgh. He continued his studies at the University of St Andrews
in 1996, before transferring to Moray House
at the University of Edinburgh
from where he graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sports Science in 1999. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in July 2005 and another from Heriot-Watt University
in November 2005. Chris returned to St Andrews University in June 2009 to be awarded an honorary Doctor of Science.
Hoy was inspired to cycle at age six by the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
. Before track cycling, Hoy raced BMX
between the ages of 7 and 14 and was ranked second in Britain, fifth in Europe and ninth in the world. He received sponsorship from Slazenger
and Kwik-Fit
and was competing in Europe and the US. Hoy also rowed for the Scottish junior team, coming second in the 1993 British championship with Grant Florence in the coxless pairs. He played rugby as part of his school's team.
Hoy joined his first cycling club, Dunedin CC, in 1992 and began concentrating on track cycling in 1994, when he joined the City of Edinburgh Racing Club.
, Ross Edgar
, Jamie Staff
, Jason Queally
, Matthew Crampton
and Jason Kenny
. The team's first World Title came in 2002, in the Ballerup Velodrome, Copenhagen. Chris also won the Kilo title the same year beating Arnaud Tournant by 1/1000 of a second. A medal has been achieved in the Team Sprint each year since at the World Championships, including a further Gold in 2005. The team's regular opponents in recent years have been the French team.
Hoy was also the world's best 1 km Time Trial rider for a number of years, before ceasing to ride the event when it was removed from the Olympic programme after the 2004 games. This is a raw power sprinting event, which involves the rider covering one kilometre (four laps) as fast as possible from a standing start. His first World Title came in this event in 2002, followed by further titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007. He won the event at the 2004 Olympics, his first Olympic title.
. This event involves between six and eight riders following a small motorbike (the Derny
) around the 250m track for 5.5 laps, as the bike slowly builds up the speed. The bike pulls off with 2.5 laps to go and it is an all out fight for the line. Chris had previously competed at the Keirin in various events but one of his first major successes was at the Manchester round of the World Cup Classics Series in 2007, shortly before the World Championships. His victory in this event carried forward into the World Championships and he came home first to take the title, ahead of team mate Ross Edgar
.
This was a milestone for Hoy as it showed he was developing from just a pure power sprinter, in events like the Kilo and Team Sprint, into also being one of the best in the world at more tactical sprinting events like the Keirin and the Sprint.
(France), set during 2001 at altitude in La Paz
, Bolivia, where Hoy also attempted to break the record. Only 3 sub-60sec kilos have ever been ridden, Chris recorded two of these over two days in La Paz.
Hoy's main achievement is his development in the individual sprint event considered to be the blue riband
event of track cycling. Kilo riders like Hoy have historically not fared as well at this event, as they were less experienced in the tactical elements required for the sprint. Previously, Hoy had competed in the sprint at various World Cup
events and Revolution meetings in Manchester, but it was not one of his main events and he did not compete in it at the World Championships or the Olympics. In the semi finals Chris defeated Italian veteran Roberto Chiappa 2-0, to set up a meeting in the final against France's Kevin Sireau. Sireau was the World Cup Classics points winner for the season and had defeated Chris 2-0 in their previous meeting only a few weeks earlier. However with the vocal Manchester crowd behind him Chris was not to be denied victory and he completed the win 2-0, the first British man to win the sprint title in 52 years since Reg Harris.
Hoy became the first British Olympian for 100 years to claim three golds at one games at the 2008 Olympics
in Beijing
. This came when he won the men's keirin, the men's team sprint and also the men's individual sprint.
The first gold came as a member of the three man team sprint squad which included Jason Kenny
and Jamie Staff
. Jason Kenny
replaced Ross Edgar
just before the games. They defeated the French by a clear margin, despite the French team's previous dominance of the event.
The keirin became Chris's second Gold medal of the 2008 games, when he came home clear winner ahead of team mate Ross Edgar
.
Hoy reached the final round of the individual sprint without a glitch, where his opponent turned out to be his young team mate, Jason Kenny. Kenny was a junior world champion who had achieved a number of high placings. Hoy used his greater experience to defeat Kenny, completing his hat trick of Olympic titles.
.
He made his return to racing in the UK at the sold out Revolution 22 event in Manchester in December. He received a standing ovation from the Manchester faithful at the start of the event when he was introduced to the crowd. At this event Hoy won both the Sprint and Keirin competitions, defeating likes of Jason Kenny
, Jamie Staff
, Ross Edgar
, Matthew Crampton
and Teun Mulder
along the way.
Hoy competed in the World Cup Classics series' final event in Copenhagen
, Denmark
in February, helping his team to a gold medal in the team sprint event. However, he crashed out during the men's Keirin final and was forced to miss the final day of competition, including the men's sprint. Although at first, his injury seemed minor, he returned to Manchester where, following a scan, he was diagnosed with a serious de-gloving injury which finished his season and kept him off his bike for almost 3 months. He was unable to compete as planned at the Revolution 24 event in Manchester the following weekend, he did however make an appearance at the event. He has had to pull out of the World Championships in Poland at the end of March, where he would have attempted to win 3 World titles, because of the hip injury.
.
On 26 November 2008, Hoy was named as Sportsman of the Year by the Sports Journalists' Association of Great Britain, winning a ballot of its membership ahead of Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton
and Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie
.
On 14 December 2008, Hoy was also named as BBC Sports Personality of the Year
. He finished ahead of Formula One
world champion Lewis Hamilton
and Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington
. Hoy became the second cyclist ever to win the award after Tommy Simpson in 1965.
Hoy was created a Knight Bachelor
by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year Honours List 2009
.
In June 2009, Hoy was inducted to the University of Edinburgh
's Sports Hall of Fame.
Train operating company SouthEastern named a high speed Class 395 train after him.
The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games
, is named in his honour.
being built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games
in Glasgow
is to be named in his honour.
with a sporran
, while his wife wore a white dress and veil. Swimmer Rebecca Adlington
, double Olympic gold medallist was one of the guests. They now live in Salford, Greater Manchester
, close to the National Cycling Centre's velodrome.
Olympic Games
Commonwealth Games
Special awards
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) is a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
track cyclist
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
representing Great Britain and Scotland. He is a multiple world champion and Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
winner. With his three gold medals in Beijing 2008
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, Hoy became Scotland's most successful Olympian, the first Briton to win three gold medals in a single Olympic games since Henry Taylor
Henry Taylor (swimmer)
Henry Taylor was a British freestyle swimmer who competed in the 1906 Summer Olympics, in the 1908 Summer Olympics, in the 1912 Summer Olympics, and in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He served in the Royal Navy during the First World War, and continued to swim competitively until 1926...
, in 1908
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
, and the most successful Olympic male cyclist of all time.
Early life
Hoy went to school at George Watson's CollegeGeorge Watson's College
George Watson's College, known informally as Watson's, is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871 and was merged with its sister school...
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in Edinburgh. He continued his studies at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
in 1996, before transferring to Moray House
Moray House School of Education
The Moray House School of Education is a school within the College of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh...
at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
from where he graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sports Science in 1999. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in July 2005 and another from Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
in November 2005. Chris returned to St Andrews University in June 2009 to be awarded an honorary Doctor of Science.
Hoy was inspired to cycle at age six by the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
. Before track cycling, Hoy raced BMX
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
between the ages of 7 and 14 and was ranked second in Britain, fifth in Europe and ninth in the world. He received sponsorship from Slazenger
Slazenger
Slazenger is a British sports equipment brand name sold throughout the world, involving a variety of sporting categories namely cricket, tennis and hockey...
and Kwik-Fit
Kwik-Fit
Kwik-Fit is a British car servicing and repair company, specialising in tyres, brakes, exhausts, MOT testing, car servicing, air-conditioning recharge, oil changes and windscreen repair. They are the leading fast-fit supplier of tyres in the UK with over 600 Kwik-Fit centres.-History:Sir Tom Farmer...
and was competing in Europe and the US. Hoy also rowed for the Scottish junior team, coming second in the 1993 British championship with Grant Florence in the coxless pairs. He played rugby as part of his school's team.
Hoy joined his first cycling club, Dunedin CC, in 1992 and began concentrating on track cycling in 1994, when he joined the City of Edinburgh Racing Club.
Achievements
The Kilo and the Team Sprint
Hoy's main events were the 1 km Time Trial, known as the Kilo, and the Team Sprint. It was in the Team Sprint that he collected his first World Championship medal, a Silver in 1999. This event involved the three riders, a simultaneous standing start, completing three laps of the 250 m track, with one rider taking the front for each lap and then dropping out. Hoy usually rides as the third man in this event, completing the closing lap. Regular team mates in the Team Sprint over the years have included Craig MacleanCraig MacLean
Craig MacLean is a Scottish track cyclist who has represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, winning a Silver Medal in the Team Sprint at the 2000 Olympics....
, Ross Edgar
Ross Edgar
Ross Edgar is a Scottish track cyclist who represented Scotland at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold medal in the team sprint riding with Chris Hoy and Craig MacLean...
, Jamie Staff
Jamie Staff
Jamie Alan Staff MBE is an English racing cyclist and coach, formerly on BMX and later on the track. A World and Olympic champion, he has also won numerous other medals at World Championships, World Cups and at the Commonwealth Games....
, Jason Queally
Jason Queally
Jason Paul Queally is an English track cyclist. He won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.Born at Great Heywood, Staffordshire, Queally attended Lancaster Royal Grammar School, where he was part of the swimming squad in the mid-1980s, later representing Lancaster and British Universities...
, Matthew Crampton
Matthew Crampton
Matthew "Matt" Nicholas Crampton is an English track cyclist for . He is a member of British Cycling's Olympic Podium Programme, he has represented Great Britain at a number of major events...
and Jason Kenny
Jason Kenny
Jason Francis Kenny MBE is an English track cyclist, specialising in the individual and team sprints. After winning multiple World and European Junior titles in 2006 and achieving medals in the under 23 European championships in 2007, Kenny was selected ahead of Ross Edgar to compete for Great...
. The team's first World Title came in 2002, in the Ballerup Velodrome, Copenhagen. Chris also won the Kilo title the same year beating Arnaud Tournant by 1/1000 of a second. A medal has been achieved in the Team Sprint each year since at the World Championships, including a further Gold in 2005. The team's regular opponents in recent years have been the French team.
Hoy was also the world's best 1 km Time Trial rider for a number of years, before ceasing to ride the event when it was removed from the Olympic programme after the 2004 games. This is a raw power sprinting event, which involves the rider covering one kilometre (four laps) as fast as possible from a standing start. His first World Title came in this event in 2002, followed by further titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007. He won the event at the 2004 Olympics, his first Olympic title.
Post-2004 Olympics
Following the decision to remove the Kilo from the Olympic programme after the 2004 games, Chris sought to develop in other events. The first of these was the KeirinKeirin
is a track cycling event in which racing cyclists sprint for victory. Keirin originated in Japan in 1948; the first Olympic competitions in the sport occurred in 2000....
. This event involves between six and eight riders following a small motorbike (the Derny
Derny
A Derny is a motorized bicycle for motor-paced cycling events such as during six-day and Keirin racing, or motor-paced road races. It is driven by a 98cc Zurcher two-stroke engine and by being pedalled through a fixed gear, typically of 70 teeth on the front chainring and 11 on the sprocket on the...
) around the 250m track for 5.5 laps, as the bike slowly builds up the speed. The bike pulls off with 2.5 laps to go and it is an all out fight for the line. Chris had previously competed at the Keirin in various events but one of his first major successes was at the Manchester round of the World Cup Classics Series in 2007, shortly before the World Championships. His victory in this event carried forward into the World Championships and he came home first to take the title, ahead of team mate Ross Edgar
Ross Edgar
Ross Edgar is a Scottish track cyclist who represented Scotland at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold medal in the team sprint riding with Chris Hoy and Craig MacLean...
.
This was a milestone for Hoy as it showed he was developing from just a pure power sprinter, in events like the Kilo and Team Sprint, into also being one of the best in the world at more tactical sprinting events like the Keirin and the Sprint.
2007 world record attempt
On 12 May 2007, Hoy attempted the world record for the kilometre. He fell 0.005 seconds short, clocking 58.880. He set a record for the 500m flying start at 24.758 seconds, a second less than the 25.850 set by Arnaud Duble. Hoy set the sea-level kilometre record of 1 minute 0.711 seconds by winning the Olympics in Athens in 2004. The outright record of 58.875 seconds is held by Arnaud TournantArnaud Tournant
Arnaud Tournant is a French track cyclist. He has won 14 World Championships and won a gold, silver and a bronze at the Summer Olympics.-Biography:...
(France), set during 2001 at altitude in La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
, Bolivia, where Hoy also attempted to break the record. Only 3 sub-60sec kilos have ever been ridden, Chris recorded two of these over two days in La Paz.
Hoy's main achievement is his development in the individual sprint event considered to be the blue riband
Blue Riband
The Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed...
event of track cycling. Kilo riders like Hoy have historically not fared as well at this event, as they were less experienced in the tactical elements required for the sprint. Previously, Hoy had competed in the sprint at various World Cup
UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics
The UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics is the elite men and women's season-long competition in track cycling, which now comprises several rounds, each held in a different country. The 1995 World Cup had six rounds, this was reduced to four in 1998, 1999-2001 compromised of five rounds before...
events and Revolution meetings in Manchester, but it was not one of his main events and he did not compete in it at the World Championships or the Olympics. In the semi finals Chris defeated Italian veteran Roberto Chiappa 2-0, to set up a meeting in the final against France's Kevin Sireau. Sireau was the World Cup Classics points winner for the season and had defeated Chris 2-0 in their previous meeting only a few weeks earlier. However with the vocal Manchester crowd behind him Chris was not to be denied victory and he completed the win 2-0, the first British man to win the sprint title in 52 years since Reg Harris.
2008 Olympics
Hoy started the year by winning the sprint and the keirin and collecting team sprint silver in the World Championships held on home soil in Manchester.Hoy became the first British Olympian for 100 years to claim three golds at one games at the 2008 Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. This came when he won the men's keirin, the men's team sprint and also the men's individual sprint.
The first gold came as a member of the three man team sprint squad which included Jason Kenny
Jason Kenny
Jason Francis Kenny MBE is an English track cyclist, specialising in the individual and team sprints. After winning multiple World and European Junior titles in 2006 and achieving medals in the under 23 European championships in 2007, Kenny was selected ahead of Ross Edgar to compete for Great...
and Jamie Staff
Jamie Staff
Jamie Alan Staff MBE is an English racing cyclist and coach, formerly on BMX and later on the track. A World and Olympic champion, he has also won numerous other medals at World Championships, World Cups and at the Commonwealth Games....
. Jason Kenny
Jason Kenny
Jason Francis Kenny MBE is an English track cyclist, specialising in the individual and team sprints. After winning multiple World and European Junior titles in 2006 and achieving medals in the under 23 European championships in 2007, Kenny was selected ahead of Ross Edgar to compete for Great...
replaced Ross Edgar
Ross Edgar
Ross Edgar is a Scottish track cyclist who represented Scotland at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold medal in the team sprint riding with Chris Hoy and Craig MacLean...
just before the games. They defeated the French by a clear margin, despite the French team's previous dominance of the event.
The keirin became Chris's second Gold medal of the 2008 games, when he came home clear winner ahead of team mate Ross Edgar
Ross Edgar
Ross Edgar is a Scottish track cyclist who represented Scotland at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold medal in the team sprint riding with Chris Hoy and Craig MacLean...
.
Hoy reached the final round of the individual sprint without a glitch, where his opponent turned out to be his young team mate, Jason Kenny. Kenny was a junior world champion who had achieved a number of high placings. Hoy used his greater experience to defeat Kenny, completing his hat trick of Olympic titles.
2008/09 track season
Chris did not race at the first major event of the 2008/09 season, the World Cup Classics Event in Manchester on 31 October – 2 November. He instead made an appearance to sign autographs and commentate with the BBCBBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
.
He made his return to racing in the UK at the sold out Revolution 22 event in Manchester in December. He received a standing ovation from the Manchester faithful at the start of the event when he was introduced to the crowd. At this event Hoy won both the Sprint and Keirin competitions, defeating likes of Jason Kenny
Jason Kenny
Jason Francis Kenny MBE is an English track cyclist, specialising in the individual and team sprints. After winning multiple World and European Junior titles in 2006 and achieving medals in the under 23 European championships in 2007, Kenny was selected ahead of Ross Edgar to compete for Great...
, Jamie Staff
Jamie Staff
Jamie Alan Staff MBE is an English racing cyclist and coach, formerly on BMX and later on the track. A World and Olympic champion, he has also won numerous other medals at World Championships, World Cups and at the Commonwealth Games....
, Ross Edgar
Ross Edgar
Ross Edgar is a Scottish track cyclist who represented Scotland at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold medal in the team sprint riding with Chris Hoy and Craig MacLean...
, Matthew Crampton
Matthew Crampton
Matthew "Matt" Nicholas Crampton is an English track cyclist for . He is a member of British Cycling's Olympic Podium Programme, he has represented Great Britain at a number of major events...
and Teun Mulder
Teun Mulder
Teunis Mulder is a Dutch track cyclist. He is a former keirin World Champion and won a silver in the team sprint with Theo Bos and Tim Veldt. Mulder also won a total of four world cup classics in the team sprint and keirin. He competed for his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens,...
along the way.
Hoy competed in the World Cup Classics series' final event in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in February, helping his team to a gold medal in the team sprint event. However, he crashed out during the men's Keirin final and was forced to miss the final day of competition, including the men's sprint. Although at first, his injury seemed minor, he returned to Manchester where, following a scan, he was diagnosed with a serious de-gloving injury which finished his season and kept him off his bike for almost 3 months. He was unable to compete as planned at the Revolution 24 event in Manchester the following weekend, he did however make an appearance at the event. He has had to pull out of the World Championships in Poland at the end of March, where he would have attempted to win 3 World titles, because of the hip injury.
2009/10 track season
Hoy started the 09/10 track season at the National Cycling Centre, Manchester at the British National Championships where he took only his second (and third) ever individual national titles. He took gold medals in the Keirin, Sprint and was part of the Team Sprint Team representing team SKY along with Jamie Staff and Jason Kenny. Two weeks later, he raced in round one of the UCI World Cup at the same venue and took gold in the Mens Keirin. He then went into day 2 of the competition and took gold in the sprint event, beating fellow Brit Matthew Crampton in the final 2-0. A third World Cup gold came in the Team Sprint on the Sunday. Having ridden and won 12 events over the weekend, he withdrew from the International Japanese Keirin which was consequently won by team mate Matt Crampton.Honours
Hoy was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to cycling in the 2005 New Year HonoursNew Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
.
On 26 November 2008, Hoy was named as Sportsman of the Year by the Sports Journalists' Association of Great Britain, winning a ballot of its membership ahead of Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
and Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie
Ben Ainslie
Charles Benedict Ainslie, CBE is an English sailor and three-times Olympic gold medalist. He started sailing at the age of 8 and first competed at the age of 10...
.
On 14 December 2008, Hoy was also named as BBC Sports Personality of the Year
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
. He finished ahead of Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
world champion Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
and Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington
Rebecca Adlington
Rebecca "Becky" Adlington, OBE, is an English and British freestyle swimmer. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final...
. Hoy became the second cyclist ever to win the award after Tommy Simpson in 1965.
Hoy was created a Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year Honours List 2009
New Year Honours 2009
The New Year Honours 2009 principally for the United Kingdom as well as the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 31 December 2008, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2009....
.
In June 2009, Hoy was inducted to the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
's Sports Hall of Fame.
Train operating company SouthEastern named a high speed Class 395 train after him.
The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 20th Commonwealth Games in 2014 will be held in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The winning city was announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation on 9 November 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Games will run over 11 days of competition from 24 July to 3 August 2014...
, is named in his honour.
Honorary degrees
- 2005 — Honorary Doctor of Science, University of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghThe University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
- 2009 — Honorary Doctor of Science, University of St AndrewsUniversity of St AndrewsThe University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
2012 Olympics
Hoy is an ambassador for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the Scottish National VelodromeNational Indoor Sports Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome
The National Indoor Sports Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome is an indoor arena and velodrome currently under construction in Parkhead, Glasgow, Scotland. Built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, these venues will host the Badminton and Track cycling events...
being built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 20th Commonwealth Games in 2014 will be held in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The winning city was announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation on 9 November 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Games will run over 11 days of competition from 24 July to 3 August 2014...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
is to be named in his honour.
Personal life
Hoy moved out of his childhood home in 2000 into a flat close to his parents. Hoy is married to Sarra Kemp, a lawyer from Edinburgh, they got engaged on 11 April 2009. They were married on 17 April 2010 at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh. Hoy wore a grey kiltKilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
with a sporran
Sporran
The Sporran is a traditional part of male Scottish Highland dress. It is a pouch that performs the same function as pockets on the pocketless Scottish kilt....
, while his wife wore a white dress and veil. Swimmer Rebecca Adlington
Rebecca Adlington
Rebecca "Becky" Adlington, OBE, is an English and British freestyle swimmer. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final...
, double Olympic gold medallist was one of the guests. They now live in Salford, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, close to the National Cycling Centre's velodrome.
Medal history
World Championships- 19991999 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 1999 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Berlin, Germany from October 20 to October 24, 1999. Twelve events were contested, eight for the men and four for the women...
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Team sprint - 20002000 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2000 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Manchester, United Kingdom from October 26 to October 30, 2000.-Medals table:-Medal summary:-External links:**...
- Team sprint - 20012001 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2001 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Antwerp, Belgium from September 26 to September 30, 2001.-Medals table:-Medal summary:-External links:**...
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Team sprint - 20022002 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2002 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Copenhagen, Denmark from September 25 to September 29, 2002.-Medals table:-Medal summary:-External links:**...
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1 km time trial; Team sprint - 20032003 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2003 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Stuttgart, Germany from July 30 to August 3, 2003. The championships were due to be held in Shenzhen, China, but were moved to Stuttgart following the 2003 SARS outbreak in China.-Medals...
- Team sprint - 20042004 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Melbourne, Australia from 26 May to 30 May 2004.-Medals table:-Medal summary:-External links:**...
- 1 km time trial; Team sprint - 20052005 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Los Angeles, USA from March 24 to March 27, 2005.-Medals table:-Medal summary:-External links:**...
- Team sprint; 1 km time trial - 20062006 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2006 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Bordeaux, France from April 13 to April 16, 2006.-Medals table:-Medal summary:-External links:**...
- 1 km time trial; Team sprint - 20072007 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships is the World Championship for track cycling. It took place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain from March 29, 2007 to April 1, 2007...
- KeirinKeirinis a track cycling event in which racing cyclists sprint for victory. Keirin originated in Japan in 1948; the first Olympic competitions in the sport occurred in 2000....
; 1 km time trial; Team sprint - 20082008 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place at the Manchester Velodrome in Manchester, United Kingdom from 26 to 30 March 2008. Eighteen events were scheduled; the women's team pursuit being the only addition from the 2007...
- Sprint; Keirin; Team sprint - 20102010 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2010 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championships for track cycling in 2010. They took place at the Ballerup Super Arena in Ballerup, Denmark from 24 to 28 March 2010.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-External links:*...
- Team sprint; Keirin - 20112011 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships was the World Championships for track cycling in 2011. The championships took place at the Omnisport Apeldoorn in Apeldoorn, Netherlands from 23 to 27 March 2011.-Medal summary:-Medal table:...
- Keirin; Team sprint; Sprint
Olympic Games
- 2000Cycling at the 2000 Summer OlympicsAt the 2000 Summer Olympics, 3 different Bicycle racing disciplines were contested: Road cycling, Track cycling, and Mountain biking.-Medal table:-Road cycling:-Track cycling:MenWomen-Mountain biking:-References:*...
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Team sprintOlympic sprintThe Team sprint is a track cycling event. Despite its name, it is not a conventional cycling sprint event - it is, in the men's event, a three-man team time trial held over three laps of a velodrome, and, in the women's event, a two-woman event held over two laps.The current men's world best time...
(with Craig MacLeanCraig MacLeanCraig MacLean is a Scottish track cyclist who has represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, winning a Silver Medal in the Team Sprint at the 2000 Olympics....
and Jason QueallyJason QueallyJason Paul Queally is an English track cyclist. He won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.Born at Great Heywood, Staffordshire, Queally attended Lancaster Royal Grammar School, where he was part of the swimming squad in the mid-1980s, later representing Lancaster and British Universities...
) - 2004Cycling at the 2004 Summer OlympicsCycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics had 18 events in three disciplines:*Road cycling, held at the Athens historic centre and in Vouliagmeni Olympic Centre ....
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1 km track time trialTrack time trialIn the track time trial, a track cycling event, cyclists compete individually against the clock to record the fastest time over the specified distance from a standing start.-The bike:... - 20082008 Summer OlympicsThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
- Team sprint (with Jason KennyJason KennyJason Francis Kenny MBE is an English track cyclist, specialising in the individual and team sprints. After winning multiple World and European Junior titles in 2006 and achieving medals in the under 23 European championships in 2007, Kenny was selected ahead of Ross Edgar to compete for Great...
and Jamie StaffJamie StaffJamie Alan Staff MBE is an English racing cyclist and coach, formerly on BMX and later on the track. A World and Olympic champion, he has also won numerous other medals at World Championships, World Cups and at the Commonwealth Games....
); KeirinKeirinis a track cycling event in which racing cyclists sprint for victory. Keirin originated in Japan in 1948; the first Olympic competitions in the sport occurred in 2000....
; SprintSprint (cycling)The sprint or match sprint is a track cycling event involving between 2 and 4 riders, though they are usually run as a one-on-one match race between opponents who, unlike in the individual pursuit, start next to each other.- Racing style :...
Commonwealth Games
- 20022002 Commonwealth GamesThe 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
- 1 km time trial; Team sprint (with Craig MacLean and Ross EdgarRoss EdgarRoss Edgar is a Scottish track cyclist who represented Scotland at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold medal in the team sprint riding with Chris Hoy and Craig MacLean...
) - 20062006 Commonwealth GamesThe 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
- Team sprint (with Craig MacLeanCraig MacLeanCraig MacLean is a Scottish track cyclist who has represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, winning a Silver Medal in the Team Sprint at the 2000 Olympics....
and Ross EdgarRoss EdgarRoss Edgar is a Scottish track cyclist who represented Scotland at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold medal in the team sprint riding with Chris Hoy and Craig MacLean...
); 1 km time trial
Special awards
- 2003, 2008 - BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the YearBBC Scotland Sports Personality of the YearThe BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year is the most prestigious annual sport award in Scotland. It is organised by BBC Scotland.-Winners:-External links:* BBC Sport Scotland, December 2003...
- 2008 - BBC Sports Personality of the YearBBC Sports Personality of the YearThe BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
See also
- Scotland at the 2006 Commonwealth GamesScotland at the 2006 Commonwealth GamesThe Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland announced on 3 November 2005 that Scotland would be sending 166 athletes to compete in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, supported by 70 officials...
- Great Britain at the 2008 Summer OlympicsGreat Britain at the 2008 Summer OlympicsGreat Britain competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The United Kingdom was represented by the British Olympic Association , and the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. Britain is one of only five NOCs to have competed in every Summer Olympic Games since 1896...
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
External links
- Chris Hoy Rider Profile - Cycling Weekly