Tokyo Olympics: Jason and Laura Kenny claim silver medals in first cycling races

Team GB’s husband and wife cycling stars Jason and Laura Kenny have both won silver medals in their first races at the Tokyo Olympics.

Laura Kenny, Katie Archibald, Josie Knight and Neah Evans lost out to Germany in the women’s team pursuit squad as the winners won gold in a new world record time.

Jason Kenny missed the first of his three chances to move clear of Sir Chris Hoy’s Olympic gold medal tally as Great Britain took silver in the men’s team sprint in Izu.

Jason, tied with Hoy on six, rode alongside Jack Carlin and Ryan Owens, but the trio were comfortably beaten by the all-conquering Netherlands, who set a new Olympic record of 41.369 seconds.

With the British riders struggling to hold one another’s wheels, they finished three seconds down on the Dutch, who have not been beaten in a team sprint event since 2017.

Owens called their silver medal a “dream come true” while Jason said he had been “rubbish”.

Jason told the BBC: “We poured our heart into the second ride to get to the final and then just rolled the dice in the final.

“We geared up and just went for it, and obviously we knew we had a bit of ground to make up. I had nothing in the final, I was rubbish.”

Jason still has two more chances to add to his medal haul in these Games, due to compete in Friday’s individual sprint before Sunday’s keirin, but the challenge of beating the Dutch has clearly got no easier.

Laura also has two more shots at a gold medal in the coming days.

Jason currently has six gold medals and two silver and is level with Sir Bradley Wiggins, while Laura has four golds and one silver.

At 33 years old, he is now in his fourth Games – 13 years after winning his first team sprint gold in 2008.

Laura said she considered retiring last year after breaking her shoulder in a crash at the World Cup in Canada, then her arm at the world championships weeks later.

She said: “If these Games had taken place a year ago, I would have been slightly concerned. I wouldn’t have had the preparation I wanted.

“These extra 12 months have given me time to make sure I was doing everything right, get fitter and stronger than I ever have been.”

The couple have a three year old son called Albie.

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