Bets are on for a Jason Kenny knighthood as the Olympic track cycling champion is one medal away from Sir Chris Hoy in gold medals, and equal to both Sir Bradley Wiggins and Sir Steve Redgrave.
Having won two gold medals in Rio so far, in the Men’s sprint and the men’s team sprint, the now five times Olympic champion sets his sights on a sixth ahead of tomorrow’s Keirin final.
Many are now expecting a Kenny knighthood, though the rider himself says his focus is on tomorrow’s race.
Rio 2016: Jason Kenny wins sprint to claim fifth Olympic gold
Kenny said after his sprint victory: “It is special, really special.
“People keep saying I’ve won five now, but I don’t feel any different to when I had three, it’s not sunk in yet and we still have the Keirin to go.
“I feel lucky to be part of this era and the amazing set of games we’ve had.”
Kenny’s dad, Michael Kenny, said a peerage would be welcome but “the pressure is off for his family because he’s already achieved so much.”
He said his son hasn’t mentioned the prospect to him.
“That’s not for me to say whether he should get a knighthood, I don’t know if it will happen,” he told the Evening Standard.
“But that’s the last thing that’s going through his mind, he’s just ordinary Jason.”
Michael Kenny praised his son’s fiancé, Laura Trott, who won gold in the Team Pursuit on Saturday, bringing her tally to three. She is looking strong so far in her bid for a fourth gold in the omnium event, which finishes tomorrow.
Sir Chris Hoy commented on the achievement after the sprint event, in which Callum Skinner won silver to Kenny’s gold.
“A Great Britain one-two is amazing,” Chris Hoy told the BBC. “Jason had so much in the tank. He had phenomenal power.”
So only Sir Chris Hoy, Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Bradley Wiggins have matched Jason Kenny’s gold medal count. #knighthoodontheway?
— Gareth Elliott (@RUFCgaz) August 14, 2016
Jason Kenny may end up with 6 golds. He’s 28 – could feasibly retire in 2024 with 10+ golds. Arise Sir Jason #Olympics @BBCSport
— James Tortise (@jamestortise) August 14, 2016
Five golds for Jason Kenny. What comes above knighthood? #bbcrio2016
— Sam Holloway (@samholloway) August 14, 2016
Some are now betting on Kenny as a likely candidate for 2016 Sports Personality of the Year, with Ladbrokes offering odds of 10/1, behind Max Whitlock (5/1), Mo Farah (4/1) and Andy Murray (5/6).
Astonishingly, a few people don’t seem to know Jason Kenny from, errm, Jason Kenney, the latter being a Canadian MP who received a number of unexpected congratulations overnight from British fans following Kenny’s sprint victory.
Thanks for the implausible congrats on #Olympic cycling gold, but the credit goes to my infinitely more talented UK namesake @JasonKenny107.
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) August 14, 2016
And Kenny isn’t the only one being mistaken for other people. On Saturday Cycling Australia congratulated Britain’s Callum Skinner for helping them win their 50th medal. They meant Callum Scotson, their 2016 Team Pursuit World Champion, who won silver to Britain’s Team Pursuit gold on Friday.
If you missed the joke pic.twitter.com/pYp6xPjmGd
— Callum Skinner (@CallumSkinner) August 12, 2016
10 thoughts on “Knighthood for Jason Kenny on the cards?”
He seems a great lad, and he
He seems a great lad, and he’s done really well, but I’m not in favour of making all these sportsmen (or anyone else) Sirs. They compete for medals, and if they win them, they do very nicely out of it. That should be the end of it.
If we have to have this system, knighthoods could be reserved for unsung heroes – people who volunteer in their local communities etc – not people who already have untold amounts of fame, glory, and (perhaps) money.
Agree with Mr Spa. Not
Agree with Mr Spa. Not convinced that sportspeople (or entertainers) should be given knighthoods etc. just for doing what they do.
Jason is having a remarkable career though.
The honours system is utterly
The honours system is utterly discredited esp after David ‘Pig Botherer’ Cameron’s resignation list. If I were JK I’d politely refuse.
Medals, fame, appreciation of the public; these are enough.
That has always struck me as
That has always struck me as somewhat odd, that peerage and knighthood, ostensibly there for recognising service and contribution to the nation, has so often been showered upon people for “contributions” to business, industry and commerce, a system of capitalism ostensibly based on rational self-interest. The logical conclusion of this coupling of moral virtue and personal financial success is of course that moment when Donald Trump states with a straight face on US national television, in response to the Khans, that he has made enormous sacrifices because he is highly successful and created tens of thousands of jobs.
As an aside, I’ll say that I find it amusing that the UK cycling press has been so consistent in its usage of the “sir” honorific when it comes to knighted cyclists, when British showbiz (of all things) has remained far more modest. No one says Lord Olivier or Sir Alec, everyone is referred to as [i]given name – surname[/i]. Indeed I remember that some years back a certain actor was widely ridiculed for wishing to be addressed as “sir”.
I think that’s probably
I think that’s probably because it’s only recently that cycling and cyclists have reached that level of public adulation and glory that has been known in showbiz or say football for decades.
It’s just another prop for
It’s just another prop for the established order, in particular the Monarchy. Handing out honours signifies the Windsors of being worthy to do so.
Hats off to everyone that turns them down. Total farce. Work your balls off to get a reward from the biggest scroungers in the country. No thanks.
Most countries have national medals, we will switch to that once we get rid of the heriditary rule in 2768AD. Takes us a while to catch up with the rest of the world.
Hoy and Wiggo were pioneers,
Hoy and Wiggo were pioneers, driving British Cycling as a whole and are more deserving than Kenny even though he does have a serious medal haul.
If this had been 30 or even 20 years ago, we would have had Sir Robert Millar or Sir Graeme Obree but we don’t which I think shows how this is very much a feature of this age.
And Sir Chris Boardman
And Sir Chris Boardman stenmeister?
Can’t say I am in favour of the system but if JK is up for one then surely Trotty is too. After all the number of events she can enter are fewer then her beau.
And Sir Chris Boardman
And Sir Chris Boardman stenmeister?
Can’t say I am in favour of the system but if JK is up for one then surely Trotty is too. After all the number of events she can enter are fewer then her beau.
As they both have at least
As they both have at least one more games in them, I think they will hold off on the gongs until they are geting close to retire. Brad really could have walked away in 2012, it is amazing what he has acheived since.
Second for Boardman for sport, business and road safety advocacy.
And whilst we are at it, a Knighthood for Professor Sir Brian Cox of Manchester, Cern and D:Ream, for contributions to Science, Education, Music and standing on mountains looking at stuff.