Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy has made the shock announcement that his cancer is incurable after first revealing he had the disease in February.
In an Instagram post from eight months ago, the cyclist wrote: ‘I am currently receiving treatment, including chemotherapy, and fortunately it is going very well. I am optimistic, positive… I feel fine at the moment. I continue to work, cycle and live my life as normal.’
At the Paris Olympics in July, Hoy appeared to be improving and appeared regularly on television, giving his typically thoughtful insight into Team GB’s performance at the Velodrome.
But all the while, the Scot (48) knew that his cancer was terminal and decided to only reveal the diagnosis in an interview with the Sunday Times.
In a career full of memories that sports fans will cherish forever, Mail Sport relives Hoy’s greatest moments, from a win against all odds 25 years ago to a glorious home game.
Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy has made the shock announcement that his cancer is incurable after first revealing he had the disease in February
During the Olympic Games in Paris in July, Hoy seemed better and appeared regularly on television
Cycling icon Hoy, pictured in August 2023, thinks he has ‘two to four years’ left to live
1999 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
Long before Hoy was a household name and success was expected in British cycling, the 1999 UCI Track World Championships in Berlin saw something of a red letter day in the team sprint.
Together with teammates Craig MacLean and Jason Queally, the Scot took an unlikely silver medal in the sprint. He would later follow it up with success at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships in 2002.
It ultimately became the first of many medals at the World Championships and one of Hoy’s own favorite memories.
“I had a feeling of euphoria and disbelief,” he said.
‘That’s the three of us [Craig MacLean and Jason Queally were his team-mates] could win a silver medal at the world championships seemed incredible. It was the first British sprint medal since the Reg Harris era.
‘There was a feeling that there might be more possibilities, but I remember thinking: If I do nothing else, I can always say I’ve won a World Cup medal. It’s strange to think that now.’
Three years before winning gold for Scotland at the 2002 Commonwealth Games (pictured), Hoy took silver at the 1999 UCI Track World Championships in the team sprint
A first gold
Team GB continued their success in 1999, winning their first maiden world title at the Ballerup Velodrome, Copenhagen in 2002.
It became an even better tournament for Hoy when he won the one kilometer track time trial, edging Arnaud Tournant by a thousandth of a second.
The cyclist would win no fewer than 11 world championship golds in his career.
Team GB continued their success in 1999, winning their first maiden world title at the Ballerup Velodrome, Copenhagen in 2002.
Olympic glory
Naturally, fans of the sport were familiar with Hoy by the time he landed in Athens in 2004, with the Scot taking home the team sprint silver in Sydney in 2000.
But his gold in the one-kilometre title event propelled him into the national consciousness as he broke world and Olympic records.
He would later say: ‘The moment that meant the most, and that I remember most vividly, was when I was waiting to step onto the top step of the podium and I heard my name followed by ‘Olympic Champion’. ‘
Fans of the sport already knew Hoy when he landed in Athens in 2004, but his gold in the one-kilometre title event propelled him into the national consciousness.
Beijing Bonanza
The man turned into a machine in China in 2008, when Hoy became the first British male Olympian in a century to win three golds at the same Games.
All he seemed to have to do was show up and a medal would soon be draped around his neck, and the cyclist took victory in the men’s keirin, the men’s team sprint and also the men’s individual sprint.
With Olympic fever running rampant, Hoy won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, beating Lewis Hamilton, who had just won the Formula One Drivers Championship.
The man turned into a machine in China in 2008, when Hoy became the first British male Olympian in a century to win three golds at the same Games
All he seemed to have to do was show up and soon a medal would be draped around his neck
Leads the team in London
Hoy, one of the faces that will forever be associated with that golden half of 2012, continued his good form during his home games.
He then backed up his confident performance by leading Team GB in the opening ceremony in front of 80,000 fans to win his fifth and sixth Olympic golds, becoming Britain’s greatest gold medalist of all time at the time.
Hoy has since been pipped by teammate and friend Jason Kenny, who he describes as one of his ‘toughest opponents’.
“Jason, my young British teammate and good friend, also became one of my toughest opponents,” he said. ‘He never has any fear. He is never affected by pressure, never intimidated.
‘The way he joined the team in Beijing was great.
Hoy, one of the faces that will forever be associated with that golden half of 2012, continued his good form during his home games
A dramatic victory in the keirin turned out to be the highlight and even brought the Scot to tears
‘He took it at ease and didn’t worry about anything. His attitude always seems to be that he has nothing to lose. And it is the same in every situation. He also has incredible speed and acceleration.”
A dramatic victory in the keirin turned out to be the highlight and even brought the Scot to tears.
Hoy has since described the win as ‘a great way to finish it off’.