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Hoy targets repeat of Olympic treble

Report: Press Association Sport
28th June 2011

Sir Chris Hoy has set his sights on three more gold medals at the London Olympics.

With just more than a year to go before London 2012 gets under way Hoy believes he can emulate his feat in Beijing when he won a hat-trick of golds on the cycling track.

If successful it would take Hoy's gold tally to seven, overtaking the five of rower Sir Steven Redgrave and cementing the Scot's Olympic legend.

Hoy said: "For me London is the big one and I aim to be the best I've ever been and hopefully repeat what I did in Beijing.

"My target is to go for three events in London and win three gold medals, it is as simple as that. The plan is written, I've got the training programme, it's all there locked away and I'm very excited and motivated by it and I'm working harder than I've ever worked before."

That is good news for British cycling fans, especially after Hoy managed only a silver and two bronze in the recent world championships in Holland.

It prompted some observers to speculate that Hoy could be on the wane at 35 but he is adamant that it is just a case of pacing himself in order to peak at the right time.

Hoy said: "I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think it would be possible again. I don't go there just for the sake of turning up and with our team you wouldn't get there because the standard is so high.

"I believe I have what it takes to do it again. Win, lose or draw, it doesn't matter, you do the best you can and hope it's good enough. I thrive on the pressure."

Seven golds would put Hoy up here with the world's Olympic icons, although Larysa Latynina, a Soviet Union gymnast, won 18 medals including nine gold while American swimmer Michael Phelps holds the record with 14 gold medals.

Hoy's biggest problem right now is getting hold of tickets. He has not received any despite applying on line and the same goes for an army of Hoy's family who travelled by the score to support him in Athens in 2004 and Beijing and want to do the same in London.

Hoy said: "I've got none so far. If you win a place you get two tickets per session. It will be my job to get selection and my family will have to battle it out.

"It's tricky. The organisers are on a hiding to nothing. There is so much demand, especially in the cycling. It's a sign of a good Games and that's a real positive thing, but not everyone's going to be happy.  Those who are happy are in the minority.

"Every aunty and uncle, my sister, mum and dad, my wife and her family, everyone has been applying for tickets but it is such a scarce thing. You have to work out how many are on offer and how many people want to watch track cycling after the success in Beijing."

Hoy was talking at the start of Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week 2011 which is aimed at inspiring pupils to do more sport and physical activity in the run-up to London 2012.

He joined former triple jump gold medallist Jonathan Edwards at Southfields Community College in London as 150 pupils staged an Olympic-style opening ceremony, before taking part in sports including table tennis, badminton, rowing, boccia, trampolining and sitting volleyball.

Hoy said: "London 2012 will provide us with all sorts of opportunities for young people to try new sports. National School Sport Week is a great way of introducing them to these sports. To see so many young people today having fun and trying to achieve a personal best in different Olympic and Paralympic sports was really inspiring. They are clearly as excited about the Games next year as I am."