‘Sarra is the one who got me through it all’ - Sir Chris pays tribute to wife

Published on 09/08/2012 12:00

SIR Chris Hoy has paid tribute to his wife as the emotional support behind his charge to becoming Britain’s most successful Olympic champion with six gold medals.

He said savouring the moment with his proud wife Sarra was the most memorable part of his success at London 2012, where he won gold in the keirin and team sprint to add to the three he won in Beijing 2008 and a further gold from Athens 2004.

“Just seeing Sarra at the end of it all. She has been the one that has really got me through it all,” Sir Chris, 36, said.

“It is fantastic when you step off the track and the final product is a gold medal and it looks like it has never been in doubt, which was not the case with the keirin.

“To see the performances, you think it must always be good but it is anything but.

“There are troughs and dips in the four years and she has been there the whole way – never complained and never moaned once or become frustrated with cycling because that has been put first over everything.When I saw her at the end of it all and was able to give her a big hug and a kiss and realise that we have done it and gone through it.”

With Sir Chris pretty much ruling himself out of competing at the next Olympics in Rio in 2016, the Edinburgh couple, who married in 2010, can now look forward to a bit of normality. After years of cycling dominating their lives, he said: “It was not that it was a struggle or not an enjoyable process but we knew now we can live a normal life for a few months and do other things than eating, training and nothing else.”

He said he had also managed to see the footage of his mum Carol almost being unable to watch him win the keirin at the Olympic velodrome.

He said: “I am sure my mum was having a tough time.”

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