- Sir Chris Hoy has revealed that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer
- The 48-year-old Olympic icon believes that he has ‘two to four years’ left to live
- Hoy won six Olympic gold medals for Great Britain between 2004 and 2012
Olympic cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy has said that his cancer is incurable and that he has just ‘two to four years’ left to live.
The 48-year-old – who won six Olympic gold medals for Team GB between 2004 and 2012 – revealed in February that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
In a statement published to Instagram, Hoy described himself as ‘optimistic’ and ‘positive’.
However, he announced this week in an interview with The Times that his cancer was terminal – and that he had known this for over a year.
Despite this, Hoy insists that he still feels very ‘lucky’.
Sir Chris Hoy, pictured in 2012 after winning two gold medals at the Olympic Games in London, has revealed that his cancer is terminal
Hoy pictured in July this year in Paris, where he attended the Olympic opening ceremony
Cycling icon Hoy, pictured in August 2023, believes that he has ‘two to four years’ left to live
Chris became Sir Chris in 2009 when he was knighted at London’s Buckingham Palace
Hoy was knighted by King Charles (left), when the monarch was serving as the Prince of Wales
Hoy married wife Sarra in 2010 and they have two children together.
Both children were born prematurely. Son Callum was 11 weeks early in 2014, before daughter Chloe arrived four weeks ahead of schedule.
Against the odds, Callum and Chloe are now both perfectly healthy.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of their parents. In additional to Hoy’s cancer, Sarra has multiple sclerosis.
But Hoy told The Times: ‘I still feel like we’re lucky.’
Hoy’s cancer was discovered after a trip to the doctor in September last year when the Scot was feeling a strain in his shoulder.
A tumour was then discovered in his shoulder, before a second scan located the primary cancer in his prostate.
The prostate cancer had spread to Hoy’s bones – getting into his shoulder, pelvis, spine and ribs.
Hoy and wife Sarra – who have been married since 2010 – pictured in Berlin in February 2020
Sarra – who has multiple sclerosis – and Sir Chris are the proud parents of two children
Edinburgh-born Hoy is an Olympic legend, having won six gold medals, as well as one silver
Two of Hoy’s six Olympic gold medals were won on home soil in 2012 at the London Games
In his brave interview, he said: ‘As unnatural as it feels, this is nature.
‘You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process.
‘You remind yourself, aren’t I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible.’
Hoy added that he had told his children that no-one lives forever but defiantly proclaimed that he hoped to ‘be here for many, many more years’.
Hoy was knighted in 2008 while he was still an active athlete.
His royal recognition came shortly after he became the first British male Olympian in 100 years to win three gold medals at one Games.
Hoy – who won his first Olympic gold in 2004 – added two more at London 2012 before announcing his retirement from cycling in 2013.
Hoy pictured in 2012 during the final of the men’s keirin track event at Lee Valley Velodrome
Hoy pictured celebrating after winning the gold medal final of the men’s keirin event in 2012
In addition to his six Olympic golds, Hoy also won two Commonwealth golds and 11 golds at Track Cycling World Championships
Hoy pictured posing for a photo while attending a cycling final at this year’s Olympic Games
Despite his diagnosis, Hoy remains very active.
Earlier this month, he took part in a Peligoni’s wellness week event as part of PACE October that involved seven bike rides over five days in Greece.