Sir Chris Hoy has been hailed as “inspiring” for sending a “wonderful message of hope” after revealing his terminal cancer diagnosis.
The six-time Olympic cycling champion gave an interview to the Sunday Times, external, in which he said doctors have told him he has between two and four years to live.
Well-wishes to Sir Chris have poured in from sporting stars, politicians and thousands of others on social media after he posted on Instagram on Sunday to say he was “feeling fit, strong and positive”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the “whole country” is behind the 48-year-old, while Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was “in awe” at the Scot’s courage and positivity.
Sir Chris told the Sunday Times that he had been diagnosed with primary cancer in his prostate, which had spread to his bones – meaning it was stage four.
The legendary athlete revealed earlier this year that he had been diagnosed, but he had not previously disclosed the type of cancer.
Following the interview’s publication, the sporting star posted on Instagram on Sunday that he was in Copenhagen with the BBC Sport team covering the World Track Cycling Championships.
Sir Chris has been appearing on BBC Two this week co-presenting the championships, with day five coverage getting under way on Sunday afternoon.
“You may see in the news this weekend some articles about my health, so I just wanted to reassure you all that I’m feeling fit, strong and positive, and overwhelmed by all the love and support shown to my family and me,” he said in the post.
There were many supportive comments underneath the post, including from fellow former Olympic cyclist Mark Cavendish who called Sir Chris a “hero of a human being”.
Olympic athlete Dame Kelly Holmes also commented “sending love to you Chris” and the British Cycling account left an emoji showing two hands making a heart symbol.
“You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process,” Sir Chris told the Sunday Times.
“You remind yourself, aren’t I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible.”
Olympic-medal winner boxer Anthony Ogogo posted a picture of himself with Sir Chris on X, calling him a “role model”, an “inspiration”, and a “hero”.
James Cracknell, an Olympic rower for Team GB, also took to the social media platform, saying Sir Chris was “more inspirational today than during his immense sporting career”.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney praised Hoy’s “incredible courage” in a post on X, saying he “has always inspired us by all that he has done”.
Speaking on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Sir Chris was “not the only person” dealing with a terminal cancer diagnosis and had “done the country such an enormous service” by being open and positive about it.
“That’s worth even more than the stack of Olympic gold that he’s built up over his career,” he added.
The Edinburgh-born Olympian’s cancer was discovered last year after a routine scan for shoulder pain – he thought he had injured himself while lifting weights at the gym – revealed a tumour.
The athlete was with his wife Sarra when he was given his terminal diagnosis. The couple have two children, Callum and Chloe, who were aged nine and six at the time.
Just before Sir Chris’s tumour was discovered, Sarra had undergone scans that would later show she had multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown said that courage had “defined” Sir Chris’s career and “now characterises how Chris and Sarra both face their health diagnoses and embrace life”.
Talking to Stephen Nolan on BBC Radio 5 Live, Simon Richardson, editor of Cycling Weekly magazine, called Sir Chris “the epitome of the Olympic champion”.
Sir Chris, who was first inspired to take up cycling by the famous BMX scenes in the film E.T., had won six Olympic, 11 world and 43 World Cup titles by the time he retired.
The cyclist first won gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004, and went on to secure three more gold medals four years later in 2008 Beijing. He won two further golds in London 2012.
