Five-time Olympic champion Laura Kenny has claimed that she could "never" go into coaching when she eventually calls time on her celebrated cycling career.
The 30-year-old holds the esteemed honour of being Great Britain's most successful female Olympian and the most successful female cyclist of all time, winning five golds and one silver at the Games since debuting at London 2012.
As well as her Olympic triumphs, Kenny - whose husband Jason Kenny is GB's most successful Olympian of all time - has a whopping 15 world medals and 18 European podium finishes to her name, as well as two golds and a bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
Kenny clinched gold in the women's scratch race at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in London, despite admitting that before the race she 'just wanted to go home', having suffered with a confidence crisis and personal trauma in the months leading up to the Games.
© DFA/Laura Kenny
However, the 30-year-old remains on track to compete at the 2023 World Championships and Paris 2024 Olympics before she retires, and she discussed her future prospects with Sports Mole in partnership with the Dried Fruit Alliance.
Having not competed at the inaugural edition of the Track Champions League in 2021, Kenny dabbled in commentary for the event, and she can envisage a career in the media rather than handling the pressure of coaching the next generation.
"I do like the media side, I could never be a coach!" Kenny said. "I would find it way too stressful, these are people's careers that ultimately you're steering.
"It would only take one small thing to seriously mess it up, and I've seen people not get on with coaches before and it's basically ended their careers. The coach plays such a massive role in that, it would feel like way too much responsibility for me.
"I've relied heavily on coaches, Paul Manning for example, he coached me for 10 years and I couldn't have done it without him, but in terms of taking on that responsibility yourself, it's not for me. But the media and commentary side I actually love, I really enjoy doing it and it makes me still feel part of it."
© Reuters
Kenny and partner Jason commentated at the 2021 Track Champions League despite suffering a miscarriage only a few weeks before the event, and the 30-year-old also went through an ectopic pregnancy in January 2022, leading to the removal of one of her fallopian tubes.
Kenny, who admitted that her personal experiences left her struggling with mental health problems, enjoyed the pressure-free environment that commentary brought her during the Champions League in 2021.
"That year when I missed Track Champions League and was there commentating, it just meant that I was still around the people I loved being around but I didn't need to be fit or have any of the pressure," Kenny added. "Talking comes quite naturally to me so I felt like I was in my happy place."
The five-time Olympic champion gave birth to son Albie in 2017, and she announced on Wednesday that she was pregnant with her second child.
Dame Laura Kenny is taking part in the #TwoBeforeTenChallenge to raise awareness of the health benefits of dried fruit. 95% of us are not getting our five a day, the research also shows that if you start the day the right way – with a breakfast containing two of your five a day – then you are statistically more likely to hit your recommended daily intake. For more information on the campaign head to the @EatMoreDriedFruit Instagram page.
Ben Knapton
