Olympic champion Hoy announces retirement

Chris Hoy from Britain competes in the men’s sprint event at the 2012 Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne on April 7, 2012. Hoy announced his retirement from cycling with immediate effect.

Olympic great Chris Hoy announced his retirement from cycling with immediate effect on Thursday.

The six-time Olympic champion, Britain’s most successful Olympic competitor, bows out at the age of 37 after a career in which he became the most decorated cyclist in the history of the Games.

“I’m officially announcing my retirement from international cycling,” he told a press conference in his native Edinburgh.

“It’s a decision which I didn’t take lightly. It’s something I thought about hard with the help of my family and my coaches.”