Laura Kenny roars back after 'confidence crisis' and 'lost spark'

LONDON ENGLAND AUGUST 01 Laura Kenny of Team England celebrates with their flag after winning Gold in the Womens 10km Scratch Race on day four of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome on August 01 2022 on the London England Photo by Justin SetterfieldGetty Images
Laura Kenny celebrates her victory in the Commonwealth Games scratch race (Image credit: Getty Images)

Laura Kenny's victory in the Commonwealth Games scratch race might have had a familiar feeling – a 34th gold medal at a major international event sealed with the exhilarating combination of speed and acuity that has characterised her career. But this one was different.

An emotional Kenny revealed after the podium ceremony that she'd "lost the spark" this year, finding it difficult to find motivation to train. On top of that, she said she'd suffered a "confidence crisis" just the previous day, placing a lowly 13th in the points race. 

Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.