British Cycling have vowed to ‘win the right way’ in Tokyo in the wake of the Richard Freeman doping scandal as golden couple Jason and Laura Kenny chase history in six events.
The governing body’s reputation has been shattered in recent months after their former chief doctor Freeman was found guilty of ordering banned testosterone in 2011 ‘knowing or believing’ it was to dope an unnamed rider.
However, Stephen Park, who took over as performance director in 2016, hopes the upcoming Olympics can help restore the trust of the British public, admitting it is ‘really important’ to show the team has moved on from the old regime.
British Cycling is hoping for a successful summer from its athletes at the Tokyo Olympics as Jason Kenny chases history
‘I am wholly committed to us winning in the right way,’ said Park. ‘We have a responsibility to lead the sport and to do that with integrity.
‘We want to be inspiring the nation when we go to the Olympic Games. We want the whole country to be proud to be British.
‘We are going in to battle for the British public. We want them to be proud of what we do and about how we do that.
‘We have done a huge amount of work in recent years around wider wellbeing, we have overhauled a lot of our medical practices.
The governing body has been damaged after former doctor Richard Freeman was found guilty of ordering banned testosterone in 2011
‘We fully expect all of our riders are going to go out there with pride, operate with integrity and it’s important the public see that reflected in what they do.’
Park has set a target of eight medals from the 26 riders Team GB have chosen to race across all cycling disciplines in Tokyo.
That would be four down on their hauls at London 2012 and Rio 2016. But Park says it would be ‘unrealistic’ to expect the dominance of past Games on the track, as other nations have caught up on the technology front.
‘I think we have got significantly more realistic medal opportunities than eight and the question will be who can deliver on the day,’ said Park.
Performance director Stephen Park insists British Cycling want to ‘win the right way’
‘In terms of the impact we have been able to have with aerodynamics and equipment, the rest of the world have been playing a game of catch up and they’ve done a really good job of that.
‘The margins we have had in the past will be somewhat eroded. Across the world, the level of competition has gone up in track racing.
‘That said, I am absolutely confident the kit package we are putting on and under our riders is better than anything else that we will see on track.
‘But it is unrealistic for us to expect the same degree of margin as we perhaps have seen in the past.’
Team GB’s squad includes 16 debutants but double Olympic gold medallist Geraint Thomas will ride in the road race and time trial, while Ed Clancy will go for a fourth gold in the team pursuit.
Their team includes 16 debutants, but Geraint Thomas will ride in the road race and time trial
Jason Kenny, 33, will again compete in the individual and team sprint and the keirin, needing one more win to go past Sir Chris Hoy and become Britain’s outright most successful Olympian with seven golds.
His wife, Laura, meanwhile, has confirmed she will race in the team pursuit, omnium and madison, giving her the chance of taking her gold medal haul from four to seven and possibly surpassing Jason.
‘I am living with the person I am trying to beat,’ laughed Laura, who became a mum to son Albie in August 2017. ‘But I don’t really think about it. I am just going to do a bike race. We’re just preparing for a race how we would any other.’
Jason added: ‘We are both ploughing our own furrow. We just want each other to do well.
‘Laura has got a phenomenal record. She has a 100 per cent record at the Olympics so she is carrying that into these Games and we will see what happens.
Kenny (right) and wife Laura are looking to add more gold medals to their collection in Tokyo
‘I don’t really think about records or anything. I just focus on the task and try and put in a worthy performance.
‘Every gold medal has been special and has got a story and this one would be no different. It is just another race.
‘Once you get there in the holding camp, everyone is equal. All egos and big names get left at the door.
‘When you get on the track it doesn’t matter what you have won before, it is the same opportunity for everyone.’