The Times - UK (2022-01-01)

T

he duo already have the 12
Olympic gold medals they
require to create a rather
unique clock for their home,
but now Jason and Laura
Kenny have a knighthood and a
damehood, respectively, to add to
their considerable list of honours.
It is nothing less than Britain’s
golden couple deserve, given that it
has long been accepted that the
highest achievers in the sporting
world receive such recognition. In a
pantheon that includes Sir Steve
Redgrave and Sir Chris Hoy, Dame
Laura and Sir Jason stand tall among
them as Britain’s most successful male
and female Olympians.
However, sporting excellence is not
judged in isolation, as shown by
Tyson Fury’s exclusion (once again)
from the new year’s honours list.
While the heavyweight boxer, 33,
produced one of the most athletic
performances of 2021 when he
defeated Deontay Wilder, 36, for a
second time in that brutal world
championship bout in October, it is
comforting to know that other issues
are not ignored, however hard some
of Fury’s supporters try to pretend
they don’t exist.
When an athlete is associated with
a man named in the High Court of

the precise moment the derny

left the track, reaching speeds

close to 50mph before

holding on bravely for a

remarkable victory.

Laura’s Olympic

journey started in

London in 2012 but she

has become one of the

finest female track

cyclists of her generation.

Not everything went to

plan in Tokyo but she did

claim a fifth gold,

alongside Katie Archibald

in the madison, and a

team-pursuit silver. Still

only 29, she could also have

a stab at matching her

husband for Olympic

titles in Paris in 2024.

“Not only are Jason and

Laura true masters of their

craft, they are also wonderful

team-mates, role models and

ambassadors for our sport,”

the Great Britain Cycling

Team’s performance director,

Stephen Park, who has been

appointed CBE, said.

Widespread success in

Tokyo has led to 78 athletes

being honoured across

Olympic and Paralympic

sport, with the breaststroker

Adam Peaty, 27, and the diver

Tom Daley, 27, receiving

OBEs for raising awareness

on mental health and

LGBT+ issues respectively, as

well as their gold-medal

performances.

There is an OBE for the sailor

Hannah Mills, 33, whose

campaigning on marine pollution has

been cited as well as her prowess on

the water. The cyclist Jody Cundy is

among the Paralympians recognised,

on this occasion with a CBE.

Away from Japan, the tennis player

Emma Raducanu, 19, has been

appointed MBE for her extraordinary

triumph at the US Open, while the

Chelsea Women’s manager Emma

Hayes, 45, has been awarded an OBE

for her work promoting women’s

football. The six-times superbike

world champion Jonathan Rea has

received an OBE.

Masters of

their craft, role

models... and

knight riders

Ireland as the head of an

Irish drugs and arms

syndicate, serves a doping ban

and fails to apologise for

making some deeply offensive

remarks about the gay

community, it is only right that

he is penalised.

Fury and his acolytes will not

see it that way, of course. They will

point not just to his brilliance in the

ring but to his status as a mental

health champion. And they will not

like it that he has again been

snubbed. While Fury threatened to

sue the BBC if he was shortlisted for

its Sports Personality of the Year

award, both he and members of his

family have complained in the past

about being omitted from the

honours list. Seemingly it is the kind

of recognition they still crave.

With the Kennys it is more

straightforward. Jason reached his

sporting peak in Rio in 2016,

dominating the sprint events on the

track to claim three golds at his third

Olympic Games. In the keirin, in

particular, he was clearly a class apart

from his rivals.

It was in the same event five years

later in Tokyo that he claimed a

record seventh Olympic gold. On that

occasion, however, it was his speed of

thought, rather than the speed

provided by his legs, that proved

decisive.

At 33, Kenny did not possess the

power to outsprint anyone who dared

challenge him on the track. Instead,

he caught the other riders napping

with a sudden burst of acceleration at

the times | Saturday January 1 2022 1GS 17

Sport

Matt

Lawton

Chief Sports
Correspondent

GB's greatest Olympians

Jason Kenny (cycling, 2008-)

Chris Hoy (cycling, 2000-12)

Bradley Wiggins (cycling, 2000-16)

Laura Kenny (cycling, 2012-)

Steve Redgrave (rowing, 1984-2000)

Ben Ainslie (sailing, 1996-2012)

Mo Farah (athletics, 2012-16)

Matthew Pinsent (rowing, 1992-2004)

Total

7 6 5 5 5 4 4 4 4

2 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0

0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0

9 7 8 6 6 5 4 4

Paulo Radmilovic (water polo/swimming, 4

1908-20)

NEW YEAR HONOURS

Cycling’s first couple —

and the other stars

recognised by the Queen

Main sections, pages 1, 6-7, 72-78

LAURA KENNY

JASON KENNY

RESULTS

Basketball

NBA
Brooklyn Nets 102 Philadelphia 76ers
110; Orlando Magic 118 Milwaukee Bucks
136; Washington Wizards 110 Cleveland
Cavaliers 93.

Cricket

Big Bash League
Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Thunder
Sydney Thunder 187-3 (B Cutting 37, J
Sangha 91 not out, S Billings 18). Ade-
laide Strikers 165-7 (J Weatherald 31, M
Renshaw 38, J Wells 46, G Garton 8; D
Sams 4-33). Sydney Thunder beat
Adelaide Strikers by 22 runs.

Today

Football
Kick-off 3.0 unless stated
Premier League Arsenal v Manchester
City (12.30); Crystal Palace v West Ham
United (5.30); Watford v Tottenham
Hotspur.

Sky Bet Championship Blackpool v
Hull City.

League One Burton Albion v Crewe;
Charlton Athletic v Wycombe
Wanderers; MK Dons v Gillingham;
Oxford United v Cheltenham Town;
Rotherham v Bolton Wanderers.

FIXTURES

League Two Barrow v Bradford;

Crawley v Colchester; Forest Green v

Stevenage; Harrogate v Port Vale;

Hartlepool v Oldham; Leyton Orient v

Bristol Rovers; Scunthorpe v Carlisle;

Sutton United v Exeter; Swindon v

Northampton; Walsall v Newport.

National League Chesterfield v King’s

Lynn Town.

National League North Darlington v

Spennymoor Town.

Isthmian League Premier Bishop’s

Stortford v Cheshunt; Corinthian-

Casuals v Carshalton Athletic; East

Thurrock United v Cray Wanderers;

Enfield Town v Potters Bar Town;

Haringey Borough v Brightlingsea

Regent; Hornchurch v Bowers & Pitsea;

Leatherhead v Kingstonian; Lewes v

Bognor Regis Town; Margate v

Folkestone Invicta; Merstham v

Wingate & Finchley; Worthing v

Horsham.

NPL Premier Basford United v

Grantham Town; Buxton v Stafford

Rangers; Hyde United v

Mickleover; Lancaster City v Atherton

Collieries; Morpeth Town v Whitby

Town; Radcliffe v FC United of Manches-

ter; South Shields v Scarborough Athlet-

ic; Warrington Town v Bamber Bridge.

Southern League South Division

Chesham United v Hayes & Yeading

(1.0); Hartley Wintney v Farnborough;

Hendon v Kings Langley; Poole

Town v Wimborne Town; Salisbury

FC v Gosport Borough; Swindon

Supermarine v Merthyr Town; Walton

Casuals v Harrow Borough; Weston-

super-Mare v Truro City; Yate v

Dorchester Town.

Darts

PDC World Championship

London: Quarter-finals (best of nine

sets, from 12.30) J Wade (Eng) v M King

(Eng); L Humphries (Eng) v G Anderson

(Scot); P Wright (Scot) v C Rydz (Eng); G

Price (Wales) v M Smith (Eng).

Rugby union

Gallagher Premiership: Exeter v Bristol

(4.30). Sale v Wasps (2.0).

United Rugby Championship:

Connacht v Munster (5.15); Scarlets v

Ospreys (5.15).

Greene King IPA Championship

Ampthill v London Scottish (1.0).

Tomorrow

Football

Kick-off 3.0 unless stated

Premier League (2.0 unless stated):

Brentford v Aston Villa; Chelsea v

Liverpool (4.30); Everton v Brighton;

Leeds v Burnley.

Sky Bet Championship: Birmingham v

QPR; Blackburn v Huddersfield; Bristol

City v Millwall (1.0); West Brom v Cardiff.

League One Morecambe v Doncaster;

Shrewsbury v Sheffield Wednesday.

National League Boreham Wood v

Barnet; Dagenham & Redbridge v

Dover; Eastleigh v Weymouth;

Maidenhead v Wealdstone; Notts

County v Wrexham; Southend v

Bromley; Woking v Aldershot; Yeovil v

Torquay.

National League North Blyth v

Gateshead; Boston v Alfreton; Chester v

AFC Telford; Chorley v AFC Fylde;

Guiseley v Farsley; Hereford v

Kidderminster; Kettering v Brackley;

Leamington v Gloucester; Southport v

Curzon Ashton; York v Bradford (Park

Avenue).

National League South Slough v

Oxford City; St Albans v Hemel

Hempstead; Bath v Chippenham;

Braintree v Chelmsford; Concord v

Billericay; Dulwich Hamlet v Welling;

Ebbsfleet v Dartford; Havant &

Waterlooville v Dorking; Maidstone v

Tonbridge Angels.

Scottish Championship Arbroath v

Inverness; Partick Thistle v Morton;

Queen of South v Hamilton; Raith v

Dunfermline.

Scottish League 1: Alloa v Falkirk;

Clyde v Queen’s Park; Dumbarton v

Airdrieonians (1.30); East Fife v

Montrose; Peterhead v Cove Rangers.

Scottish League 2: Edinburgh v Albion;

Elgin v Forfar; Kelty Hearts v

Cowdenbeath; Stenhousemuir v

Stirling; Stranraer v Annan.

Rugby union

Gallagher Premiership (all 3.0):

Gloucester v Harlequins; Leicester v

Newcastle; Northampton v Saracens.

Greene King IPA Championship

Hartpury v Nottingham (2.30).

Norrie revels in new status

as he leads GB in ATP Cup

Tennis Cameron Norrie knows he

will be the hunted rather than the

hunter as he prepares to lead Great

Britain in their ATP Cup campaign

to start the year.

After exiting in the group stages of

the inaugural competition in 2020,

Britain did not qualify last year but

the 26-year-old’s unexpected rise to

the verge of the world’s top ten means

they are back in the field.

Their campaign begins tomorrow

against Germany, who have the world

No 3 Alexander Zverev in their team.

Britain also face tough group matches

against Canada and the USA.

“It’s exactly where I want to be,

and exactly the matches I want to

be playing and have this kind of

preparation for the Australian Open

and be seeded,” Norrie, the world

No 12, said. “A lot of the time last year

I was the underdog and going out and

hunting those guys, whereas now

some of the time it’s going to be

people hunting me.”

Dan Evans will be Britain’s No 2,

with Liam Broady No 3, while Joe

Salisbury and Jamie Murray team up

in doubles.

West Indies call on fresh

faces for England series

Cricket Keiron Pollard will captain a

youthful West Indies team in this

month’s T20 series against England.

The West Indies will host Ireland in

three one-day internationals and a

one-off T20 match in Jamaica before

the five-match series against England

in Barbados from January 22 to 30.

“Covid-19 has played a part in the

final make-up of the squad,” Phil

Simmons, the head coach, said. “The

challenges in the next couple of

months are getting the young players

in both squads to not only improve on

their skills but maintain the attitude

and desire we saw in Pakistan.

“We do need to start the year on a

high. And we know both Ireland and

England have very good teams, so we

expect a very strong challenge.”

West Indies T20 squad to face Ireland

and England Kieron Pollard (captain),

Nicholas Pooran (vice-captain), Fabian

Allen (England only), Darren Bravo

(England only), Roston Chase, Sheldon

Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Shai Hope,

Akel Hosein, Jason Holder, Brandon King,

Kyle Mayers, Rovman Powell, Romario

Shepherd, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr.

Covid-19 reserves Jayden Seales,

Alzarri Joseph, Devon Thomas.