Laura Kenny wants to inspire families to be more active

Laura Kenny says she is looking to keep active for as long as possible before the birth of her baby and will then be looking to encourage families into sport.

In February, Laura and Jason Kenny announced they were expecting their first child, following her 12-week scan.

Miserly odds of 11/2 were offered on their child one day becoming an Olympic champion, but Kenny seems laissez faire about whether or not they actually take up the sport.

The Daily Record reports her as saying: “I think it’s hugely important not to push children to do exercise but to lead them in that direction. I’m certainly not going to be a pushy parent.”

However, with a degree of understatement, she added: “We do lead quite active lifestyles, and I know how much we’ve enjoyed cycling. I’d love it if our kids enjoyed it as well.”

Children taught to cycle youngest, cycle longest

Kenny is promoting the Disney Let’s Go campaign, which aims to encourage parents to share stories of how they inspire their family to be active.

“For me, being active as a family is massively important,” she said. “That’s how I got into cycling in the first place. I always found it so much more fun going out with my dad, mum and sister than just going out and riding my bike on my own.”

Disney’s research has found that 57 per cent of parents say lack of time is the main barrier to being active.

However, Kenny made it clear that plans didn’t need to be too ambitious. “It doesn’t have to be going out for massive long bike rides – it can be playing in the garden or taking the dog for a walk. Doing it together makes it a lot more enjoyable.”

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Now 22 weeks pregnant, Kenny says that she has slowed down a touch, but is still cycling for up to two hours a day, going to the gym and swimming.

“We’ve tailored everything back a lot, so I’m not doing anything 100 per cent and I’m not going at anything full gas.”

As for when she’s going to be back competing, she says it’s impossible to say.

“People always say, ‘When are you coming back?’ but I haven’t even had my baby yet. I’m not going to know how fit I can be until I start training again but the Olympics is what I’d like to be training for.”