Olympic News: Olympic cycling champions Jason and Laura Kenny were knighted and damehood in the Queen’s New Year Honours list, respectively, while Emma Raducanu added to her trophy haul for 2021.
Jason, 33, became the most successful British Olympian of all time by winning his seventh gold medal at Tokyo 2020, while his wife Laura, 29, became the first British woman to win a gold medal at three consecutive Olympics.
Emma Raducanu, a teen British tennis winner who ended Britain’s 44-year wait for a women’s Grand Slam singles champion with a spectacular triumph at the US Open in September, has been awarded an MBE.
Raducanu explained: “Being nominated for an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen makes me extremely pleased and appreciative. For me, this year has been full of incredible shocks, so ending 2021 with this position is quite meaningful.”
The list includes a number of British Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including Tom Daley, who was awarded an OBE for services to diving, LGBTQ+ rights, and charity after winning his first Olympic medal at his fourth Games.
After winning the synchronised 10m platform with Daly, Matty Lee obtains an MBE.
After winning gold in the 100m breaststroke in Japan, Adam Peaty receives an OBE for becoming the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic championship.
Others who received an OBE include Adam Peaty, who became the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic championship with gold in the 100m breaststroke, and gymnast Max Whitlock, who won his third Olympic gold medal on the pommel horse.
The British Empire Medal is awarded to James Guy, Kathleen Dawson, Anna Hopkin, and Freya Anderson, who were Peaty’s teammates in the 4x100m mixed medley relay.
Tom Dean, together with his 4x200m men’s freestyle relay teammates Duncan Scott, Calum Jarvis, and Matthew Richards, has been awarded an MBE.
After managing Team GB’s best-ever performance in an Olympic swimming competition, in which they won home eight medals, British Swimming performance director Chris Spice receives an OBE, while British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Anson receives an OBE.
Hannah Mills receives an OBE for services to sailing and the environment, while Eilidh McIntyre, a 470 class sailing gold medalist in Tokyo, receives an MBE.
Stuart Bithell and Dylan Fletcher-Scott, who won gold in the 49er, have also been given MBEs.
Galal Yafai and Lauren Price, both boxing champions, have been awarded MBEs, as has the gold-medal-winning triathlon mixed relay team of Jonny Brownlee, Jess Learmonth, Georgia Taylor-Brown, and Alex Yee.
Individual silver medals went to Taylor-Brown and Yee in the women’s and men’s categories, respectively.
The Olympic achievements of cycling’s golden duo have been recognised
Jason and Laura Kenny, who married after the 2016 Olympics in Rio, have a total of 15 Olympic medals between them.
After gaining Keirin gold and team sprint silver in Tokyo, Jason now has seven gold medals, one more than former teammate Sir Chris Hoy, and nine medals in total, surpassing Sir Bradley Wiggins, who has eight.
Meanwhile, Laura, who gave birth to her son Albie in 2017, bounced back from the disappointment of missing out on gold in the team pursuit for the first time at the Olympics with a silver in the madison with Katie Archibald.
Raducanu’s wonderful year comes to an end with MBE
Raducanu won a dramatic final against fellow youngster Leylah Fernandez to seal a fairytale victory at the US Open in New York, which came after a run to the fourth round of Wimbledon on her Grand Slam main draw debut in July.
Raducanu, aged 18, set a number of records by winning at Flushing Meadows, including being the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam in the Open era.
She will begin the new year as the world No. 19, having risen from No. 343 at the start of 2021. She is now 19 years old and the British No. 1.
For Olympic news daily, Olympic live updates, Olympic games and other Olympic news follow livematchupdatesnews.com.
