‘Two to four years’ to live: Cycling champion Chris Hoy reveals cancer diagnosis

Sir Chris Hoy.
Photo: photo sport

Six-time Great Britain Olympic track cycling champion Chris Hoy has revealed he has “two to four years” to live after being diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer which has metastasized to his bones.

The announcement comes after the Scotsman, 48, said in February that he was feeling “upbeat and positive” while undergoing treatment for an unspecified cancer diagnosed last year.

However, the sprinter, who worked as a pundit for the BBC at last summer’s Paris Games, has now revealed he has known his cancer was incurable for over a year.

Despite his illness, Hoy said he remains positive and appreciative of life.

“On the hand, I’m pretty positive most of the time and I have genuine happiness,” Hoy told The Times.

“This is bigger than the Olympics. It’s bigger than anything. It’s about appreciating life and finding joy.

“Unnatural as it may sound, that’s nature. You know, we’re all born and we all die, and that’s just part of the process.”

Sir Chris Hoy – in full lycra – competing in a World Cup event in 2012.
Photo: photo sport

Hoy wrote a memoir about her life over the past year in which she describes how doctors discovered her cancer after initially finding a tumor in her shoulder.

The father-of-two also said he had an allergic reaction to his chemotherapy treatment, feeling “completely devastated by the end of it”.

In addition to his own treatment, Hoy was dealt another blow when his wife Sarra Kemp was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November.

“But remember, I’m not lucky that there’s any medication I can take that will keep this from happening for as long as possible,” said an optimistic Hoy.

“I don’t just say these words. I’ve learned to live in the moment, and I have days of genuine joy and happiness.”

“It’s absolutely not denial or self-delusion. It’s about trying to recognize, what do we have control over?

“Fear and anxiety, it all comes from trying to predict the future. But the future is this abstract concept in our minds. None of us know what’s going to happen. All we know is that we have a finite amount of time. the planet “.

Hoy was at the forefront of the era of British dominance in track cycling, winning gold medals at the Athens, Beijing and London Olympics. He also claimed 11 world titles during a glittering career.

Until 2021, Hoy was the most successful British Olympian and the most successful Olympic cyclist of all time before being overtaken by compatriot Jason Kenny, who won his seventh Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games.

– Reuters