Seven-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Jason Kenny has announced his retirement from competitive cycling.
The 33-year-old added a kierin gold and team sprint silver to his medal haul at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but admitted that he struggled to hit peak fitness for last year's Games due to knee injuries.
Kenny was previously pessimistic about his chances of competing at Paris 2024, and Britain's most decorated Olympian has now confirmed his intention to move into a coaching role.
"I'm really sad. It's all I've ever known is racing and training. I'm sad on that front but excited to start this new journey," Kenny told BBC Sport. "It's a combination of things.
"The opportunity came up at British Cycling to be a coach and it's something I wanted to do when I stopped anyway and it might not be there in three years so I thought for the sake of three years, I don't know if I can do three more years anyway, I thought I'd take the opportunity now.
"A massive part of me would love to continue and try to get to Paris and I'm a little bit sad in a way to not do that. That keirin in Tokyo was special to me.
"It was an amazing race. If you could pick one to end on, that would always be. That did play a small part in it. That will be my last ever race, to finish on something so special on the last day of the Olympics.
"It's a step into the unknown. I've worked with amazing coaches and I'm trying to unlock my memories of what I remember as a rider and what I liked."
Kenny retires with nine Olympic medals to his name - including two golds in front of the London crowd in 2012 - while he also won 10 world medals, six European medals and two silvers at the Commonwealth Games.
Ben Knapton
