Sir Chris Hoy latest health update as Olympic cycling legend battles cancer

One of the best British Olympians, Sir Chris Hoy, shared that he was told he had cancer in February. The six-time gold medal winner said he is feeling hopeful, upbeat, and has loving support around him.

At the beginning of this month, the 48-year-old attended the Royal Box at Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone while receiving chemotherapy treatment.

Chris Hoy is the Olympian from Scotland who has achieved the most success (Getty Images)

"The next part of an amazing British sports weekend!" the Scotsman shared on Instagram. "Enjoyed Wimbledon on Saturday, then headed to the Silverstone Grand Prix on Sunday."

Today, Britain's Olympian with the third-highest number of medals, Hoy, shared the news of his cancer diagnosis earlier this year with his followers. He reassured them that he is feeling well and continuing with his daily activities such as work, cycling, and living life as usual.

"It's going to be a thrilling year of work ahead, especially with the Paris Olympics happening in July. I am eagerly looking forward to diving in, enjoying myself, and keeping you all updated on my experiences."

Before the Paris 2024 Olympics, it might be difficult to imagine that Team GB's cycling squad only had two gold medals in nearly 100 years at the start of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

The UK athletes won five gold medals at the 1908 Olympics, but only two more have been won since then. Thomas Lance and Harry Ryan won in the tandem race in 1920, while Chris Boardman won in the individual pursuit in 1992.

Sydney ended with Jason Queally winning a gold medal in the time trial, but it was the silver and bronze medalists that showed the potential for the future of British Olympic cycling.

Today concluded his first participation in the Olympics by winning a silver medal in the team sprint. When he made it to Athens in 2004, Hoy was one of the top cyclists in a group of British riders who were on the cusp of achieving incredible success for the next ten years.

Today, Hoy secured his final Olympic medals during the London 2012 games that took place in his home country (Getty Images).

Chris Hoy was born in Edinburgh in 1976 and was active in sports from a young age. He competed in BMX internationally and was part of Scotland's junior national rowing team. At the age of 14 in 1990, he joined his first cycling club. By 1999, he was representing Great Britain at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

At the 2000 Olympics, Hoy won his first Olympic medal with Queally and Craig MacLean. By 2004, he had become the top contender in the men's track time trial. He lived up to the high hopes by winning gold and breaking the Olympic record with a time of 1:00.711.

Nevertheless, while many Olympians consider winning a gold medal as the pinnacle of their career, for Hoy and Team GB, it was just the beginning. In the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Team GB's cycling team won an impressive 14 medals, with Hoy and Wiggins playing pivotal roles once again. Alongside Jason Kenny and Victoria Pendleton, Hoy managed to secure three more gold medals in the sprint, team sprint, and keirin events. As a result of his outstanding performance, he was honored with a knighthood later that year.

In 2012, Hoy was nearing the end of his successful career, but he still achieved gold at the World Cup in London's new Velodrome. Following this, he proudly held the flag for Team GB at the Olympics held in his home country. While he didn't compete in the sprint event, he did manage to defend his gold medals in the keirin and team sprint races. With this accomplishment, he surpassed Sir Steve Redgrave as Britain's top Olympic athlete.

Today, Hoy raced with Philip Hindes and Jason Kenny, achieving a world record in the Men's Team Sprint at the London 2012 Olympics (Getty Images)

After Wiggins, Pendleton, Jason Kenny, and Laura Trott won more gold medals, British cycling was fully changed. Hoy retired in 2013, finishing a successful career with 11 world titles, two Commonwealth crowns, and Olympic glory. His legacy can be seen in Team GB's continued dominance of Olympic cycling, as they topped the medal table in both the 2016 and 2021 Games with a total of 12 medals each time.

After retiring, Hoy remained active in the sports world by participating in motorsport events such as the British GT Championship and Le Mans, fulfilling his passion for racing.

In February, Hoy mentioned that he had wanted to keep his cancer diagnosis quiet, but felt pressured to share the news. He also requested privacy for the sake of his young family.

He stated: "I have a hopeful outlook, a positive attitude, and am supported by love which I deeply appreciate. The past few months have been extremely challenging, as you can imagine."

At the moment, I am doing well and don't have any issues. I am still able to work, take my bike out for rides, and carry on with my usual routine without any problems.

"It's going to be a thrilling year ahead with lots of projects to work on, especially with the Paris Olympics happening in July. I'm really looking forward to getting started, enjoying myself, and keeping you all updated along the way."