Don't axe velodrome that turned me into a triple gold winner, urges Hoy

CHRIS Hoy stood with three gold medals round his neck, the first British Olympian for 100 years to win three titles at a single Games, and declared that none of it would have been possible without the Edinburgh velodrome where he honed his skills.

After claiming his third gold with victory in the sprint, following his success in the team sprint and keirin, Scotland's greatest ever Olympian urged the sporting authorities back home to either rethink the closure of the Meadowbank venue or to build a replacement in the city.

With the Commonwealth Games heading to Glasgow in 2014, it has been decided that the new national velodrome should be built there and even the news that the arena is set to be named after him, is unlikely to quell Hoy's disillusionment.

"I would not be standing here with Olympic medals around my neck if Meadowbank velodrome did not exist in the first place," said Hoy.

"Who knows how many potential Olympic athletes are out there? Yes, we are getting one in Glasgow but why are they knocking down facilities, why not have two or three or four?

"It's about getting kids on bikes and kids into sport. It would be a real shame for the whole of Scotland, not just Edinburgh, if we lost the Meadowbank velodrome and didn't have a replacement there."

With this latest high-profile success and the Olympics coming to London in four years, Hoy believes it is the perfect time to invest in the facilities and help nurture new and enthusiastic arrivals to the sport.

The Edinburgh cyclist, who is the world's only Olympic winner in all four sprint disciplines, is planning to ride on until 2012 and, hopefully, 2014. By that time he will be 38 years old, but he says it is the people breaking into the sport who keep him hungry and focused, and said more must be done to ensure a conveyor belt of talent.

"Jason (Kenny, the sprint silver medallist] for example is an old head on young shoulders, he is so calm and so cool and that helps me stay calm at times," said Hoy. "Mentally he has definitely got it and physically he's got it. If you had asked me four years ago if I could improve year on year, which I have done, then I wouldn't necessarily have believed you but there are so many things you gain with experience. There's no reason why I can't go on to London 2012 and improve. I will have to take the foot off the gas a little bit next year and then try to build up to the London Olympics. I just love what I do. I love the challenge of setting myself new goals.

"It's hard work but I get a real kick out of pushing myself on."

The British cycling team also enjoyed another gold medal-winning performance yesterday from Victoria Pendleton, who won the women's sprint. Elsewhere, there was a gold medal from Paul Goodison in sailing, and Christine Ohuruogu clinched gold in the women's 400 metres. Yesterday's successes brought Britain's gold tally so far to 16 – the best since London first hosted the games in 1908, when a record of 56 gold medals was achieved because some events featured only British competitors.