Britain’s most successful Olympian of all time Sir Jason Kenny has announced he is to retire from cycling.
The 33-year-old Bolton-born track cyclist – who was knighted in the 2022 New Year Honours – has won seven gold and two silver medals over four Olympic games in team sprints, sprints, and keirin events, and stunned the world when he officially became the most decorated and most successful Team GB Olympian after winning his seventh gold at Tokyo 2020.
He won his Olympic gold medal at Beijing in 2008 in the team sprint, and also took silver in the individual sprint at the same games, losing out in the final to Sir Chris Hoy.
Four years later at the London 2012 Olympics, he won both titles, and in Rio 2016, he won the team sprint, individual sprint, and keirin titles
His seventh and final Olympic gold came at Tokyo 2020, where he retained the men’s keirin title.
Sir Jason is now to take up a role with the Great Britain Cycling Team as a sprint coach.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast on his retirement, Sir Jason said: “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… [but] the opportunity at British Cycling to be a coach might not be there in three years, so I thought I’d take it now.”
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He explained that his reason for retiring is “a combination of things”, but had previously said he was “not very optimistic” of being at Paris 2024 due to injuries.
“All I’ve ever known is racing and training,” he continued.
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“I’m sad on that front, but excited to start this new journey… It’s a step into the unknown [but] 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 says he aims to be a “positive” coach.
“When I look back at the coaches who got the best out of me, they were positive. It’s contagious when someone is positive. You can’t bash someone into being the best in the world or get the best out of themselves.”
The moment when Kenny became the most successful Team GB Olympian of all time at Tokyo 2020 / Credit: Twitter (@TeamGB)
Paying tribute, British Cycling Performance Director, Stephen Park CBE, said: “In many ways Jason’s final race, the Tokyo keirin, was the perfect embodiment of all that has made him such a joy to watch… I don’t think anyone watching could have foreseen the guile and explosive power which saw him blaze to victory, and I can think of no better way to call time on such a wonderful career.
“It goes without saying that Jason has made a magnificent contribution to our team.
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“I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to hold on to all of that knowledge and experience as he embarks on his career as a coach.”
“I just did my best and loved the process of getting to that point where you can have that special moment every four years,” Kenny concluded in his interview with the BBC.
“That’s always been my passion.”
Featured Image – Twitter (@TeamGB)
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Government launches £442m drive to get rough sleepers off streets before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has launched a £442m drive to get rough sleepers off the streets before Christmas.
Learning from ‘innovative’ approaches put into place during the pandemic, the Government has announced that new accommodation will be rolled out across England this winter, as well as offering practical help with housing, health, and other needs to support people to build a more stable life for themselves in the future.
The new commitment to offer everyone a route off the streets this Christmas, along with boosted funding, reflect the Andy Burnham‘s national drive to make ‘real change’ and get everyone playing their part in ending rough sleeping.
Not only will these plans change the lives of rough sleepers, but it’s also said they will have huge benefits for the country as a whole.
Research from homelessness charity Crisis suggests that by preventing 40,000 people from becoming homeless for a year, taxpayers could save around £370 million.
The Government has launched a £442m drive to get rough sleepers off the streets before Christmas / Credit: Number 10 Press Office | Jon Tyson (via Unsplash)
As well provisions to get people off the streets, and the intensive ‘wraparound’ support, the newly allocated funding will also help local areas deliver more than 1,000 ‘settled’ homes over the next three years, it has been confirmed.
Areas facing the greatest pressures will receive the largest share of support.
Working alongside councils, Mayors will play a leading role in driving local action to end rough sleeping, and will be tasked with making decisions that are right for their communities to deliver help where it’s needed most.
The Prime Minister says he ‘won’t accept’ rough sleeping any longer. He commented: “No one should have to bed down in a doorway or outside a station, but we’ve seen it for so long that it feels like Westminster has started to accept it.
“That’s why my first instruction as Prime Minister was to end rough sleeping, and it’s why today we’re getting started with a national drive to get everyone in for Christmas. We did it in the pandemic, we can do it again. But it needs all of us.
“Government will put the money in, but I’m asking leaders in communities and sectors across society to play their part locally too.
“Let’s get people out the cold, and let’s bring back hope.”
Featured Image – Gary Knight (via Flickr)
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Trainline and Virgin Atlantic among companies being investigated for ‘misleading’ pricing
Emily Sergeant
A number of companies are currently under investigation for ‘misleading’ pricing practices.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched three new consumer protection investigations into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic, and RED Driving School over concerns that customers were not shown the total price upfront when buying things like train and coach tickets, holidays, or even driving lessons.
The investigations are part of a wider CMA clampdown on misleading pricing practices – in this instance, where mandatory charges are separated from the headline price, or added later in the buying process, which is known as drip pricing.
These practices leave consumers facing ‘unexpected’ costs or having to calculate the so-called true cost themselves.
Such practices can also impact competition between businesses, as a firm using drip pricing may falsely appear to be cheaper than a competitor pricing correctly, and therefore attract more customers.
Trainline and Virgin Atlantic are among the companies being investigated for ‘misleading’ pricing / Credit: Northern | Aric Cheng (via Unsplash)
Trainline is being investigated over whether all mandatory fees have been included in the upfront prices displayed to consumers buying tickets in advance on its app and website, while Virgin Atlantic’s investigation will focus on whether mandatory resort fees and local taxes have been included in the upfront prices shown to customers buying package holidays.
RED Driving School is being investigated over how a mandatory booking fee and ‘digital’ fee have been displayed to people booking driving lessons – specifically whether these fees have been included in the total upfront price.
“At a time when many households are watching every pound they spend, it is important that people are not surprised by extra fees,” commented Emma Cochrane, who is the Executive Director for Consumer Protection at the CMA.
“Clear pricing helps people compare offers confidently and choose the option that works best for them.
“Unexpected mandatory charges make this much harder, which is why the CMA initially put these firms on notice over concerns about their pricing practices and is now opening formal investigations.”
The CMA says it’s at the beginning of its investigations and has reached no conclusions about whether these firms have broken the law.
If it finds there has been an infringement of the law, the CMA can order businesses to pay compensation to affected customers or be charged up to 10% of global turnover.
Emily Sergeant -
24th February 2022 
