Laura Kenny: The Price of Gold for Britain's Most Successful Female Olympian (E267)
The High Performance Podcast
High Performance
4.8 • 4.7K Ratings
🗓️ 20 June 2024
⏱️ 68 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Jake and Damian sit down with Olympic record-breaker Laura Kenny to discuss the highs and lows of her illustrious cycling career, and the personal challenges she's faced along the way.
Legendary British track and road cyclist Laura Kenny made her mark as a five-time Olympic champion and the most successful female cyclist in Olympic history. In this episode, Laura opens up to Jake and Damian about the intense pressure of competing at the highest level, and what led to her retirement this year.
Laura openly shares her experiences of the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, recounting the overwhelming nerves she felt and the unique mindset required to overcome such immense pressure. She also reflects on the invaluable support and lessons from her father, emphasising the importance of constructive feedback over harsh criticism.
Laura talks about the emotional toll of her struggles with conceiving and the impact it had on her mental health. She bravely shares how speaking out about her miscarriage and the pressures of being a top athlete helped her cope and heal.
This conversation provides important insights into managing pressure, fostering supportive relationships, and the crucial role of communication in overcoming personal challenges.
If you've been affected by miscarraige - miscarriageassociation.org.uk
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I literally would miss parties, proms, you name it, I missed it, I didn't celebrate anything, |
| 0:06.0 | because my ultimate goal was to go and win gold medals. |
| 0:10.0 | I felt like the nation wanted me to perform in this bike race and I remember before the 500 meter, my favorite event, |
| 0:17.2 | I should be going into that confident as anything. I was in the |
| 0:25.0 | same |
| 0:28.0 | same because I just couldn't deal with how nervous I was. |
| 0:25.0 | I was painting this picture of just being the same Laura, |
| 0:28.0 | the same happy person who's about to go to the bite race. |
| 0:30.0 | I did all the press conferences, |
| 0:31.0 | I did everything that I normally would do but at home I |
| 0:34.3 | actually remember crying to my mom just being like I don't want to do this I don't want to be here |
| 0:38.9 | I just I just do not want to do this. |
| 0:43.0 | That is Britain's most successful ever female Olympian Laura Kenny, |
| 0:47.5 | and this is high performance, the show that unlocks the minds of the most fascinating people on the planet. |
| 0:53.0 | I'm Jake Humphrey, and the alongside Damien Hughes we learn from the stories, the struggles, |
| 0:58.0 | and the successes of our guests, and this episode is as motivating as it is moving. |
| 1:04.3 | We also cover the theme of baby loss, |
| 1:06.3 | and if you're affected, please see a helpful link |
| 1:09.6 | in the description to this podcast. |
| 1:12.1 | Here we go, as we welcome Laura Kenny to high performance |
| 1:16.0 | But first a few quick messages from our valued partners |
| 1:22.0 | Before we get going just to let you know that you can now enjoy a free trial of |
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