Sir Chris Hoy completed his record-breaking medal haul at the 2012 Olympics just six weeks after his dad revealed he had cancer. Hoy, who has now confirmed his own cancer is terminal, battled through anxiety, injury concerns, and heart-breaking family news to win two golds in London.
The cycling icon has been given two to four years to live by doctors after confirming his cancer diagnosis earlier this year. But it was emotional news from his father, David, which came as a shock to Hoy in 2012.
David revealed to his son that he had prostate cancer. Unlike Hoy Jr, David’s cancer was caught quickly and he made a successful recovery.
Hoy had returned early from a gruelling training camp in Germany, where he had suffered an injury. He wrote in his autobiography: “At 7pm the next evening, my dad called and said he had news for me. And then he told me, perfectly calmly, that he had prostate cancer. It hits you like a sledgehammer.
“Fortunately, after more tests later, the news on my dad was more positive. The doctors seem pretty optimistic that it’s treatable. But the relief came later: at the time it was pretty awful for the whole family.”
Hoy overcame pre-Olympics injury fears to win gold inside the velodrome in both the keirin and team sprint events. It was the now-48-year-old’s final Games, ending his Olympic career with six golds and one silver.
Seen celebrating in the crowd after Hoy’s success in the keirin event, David Hoy unfurled a banner which read: “The Real McHoy.”
Interviewed in the immediate aftermath, he emotionally said of his son’s achievements: “I am just so proud of him on every level. I am going to start crying. You bottle everything up and then it all comes out.”
David is still alive and, aged 79, he remains listed as secretary of his son’s company Trackstars Ltd. Hoy has previously revealed that both his grandparents died of leukaemia. He has been keen to raise money for Cancer Research UK and has taken part in Movember.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Hoy said of his terminal cancer diagnosis: “I’m not trying to pretend that every day is amazing. But I have genuine moments of joy… I’m back to my old self.”
