Raising an Olympian : Chris Hoy

Starting his cycling career on a girls’ bike was no hamper to three-time Olympic gold medal winner Chris Hoy’s success. 

"I don’t think he realised it was a girls’ bike at the time,” Chris’s mum Carol explains. “Then he got his first BMX at about eight or nine. I thought he was going to cry with happiness he was just so excited to go into the shop.”

But it wasn’t just a new BMX, the love of the sport and winning drive that has made Chris such a success. There was also the small matter of his mum’s ‘BMX Go-Faster burgers’.

“My role was probably chief cook,” says Carol. “I made soups and sandwiches but my most famous creation was the BMX Go-Faster burger.

“I told one little boy they were make-you-go-faster burgers. The next thing I had all these children queuing up to get the go-faster burgers.”

Despite insisting Chris kept up his studies and got a good degree (admitting that she thought it seemed mad that anyone could make a living from riding a bike), Carol is overwhelmed by her son’s success.
“When he won silver in Sydney, I thought I was going to burst with pride.  Then he went to Athens and won gold, I thought it can’t get better than this. Then in Beijing he gets three! 

“Those are very, very proud moments, but then I was proud of him when he won the egg and spoon race when he was a wee boy as well.” 

Watch more 'Raising an Olympian in association with P&G' videos.