Medals far more important than money for Sir Chris Hoy

By Steven Chicken, Sportsbeat, in Manchester

SIR Chris Hoy insists that medals are worth more than their weight in gold after continuing his impeccable form at the UCI World Cup in Manchester.

 HOYCULES: Medals are more important than money, says Sir Chris Hoy

Hoy, a four-time Olympic champion, added his third gold of the season-opening World Cup, teaming up with Jamie Staff and fellow Scot Ross Edgar to clinch team sprint victory, adding to the sprint and keirin titles already secured.

The Team Sky+ HD trio confirmed Britain's dominance over men's track sprinting as they defeated compatriots Jason Kenny, Matthew Crampton and David Daniell in the final.

Hoy clocked 13.02 in his split, the fastest ever recorded for the third lap of a team sprint, highlighting an emphatic return since suffering an injured hip in February.    

The flying Scot was also due to compete in the lucrative exhibition event, the JKA keirin, with a healthy prize-pot on offer to the winner, which turned out to be Crampton, but Hoy revealed that for him, all that glitters is gold.

"I wanted to show the same commitment to the team sprint as I had done to my other events. It's an Olympic medal event so it's got the same priority, so that's why I didn't do the JKA keirin today," he said.

"When there's money on the line you get some guys who'd sell their grannies for a fiver, so with €15,000 up for grabs they're going to take risks.

"But if I want to win another Olympic medal or two or three then I have to approach everything with the same commitment."

While Great Britain appear to be the dominant force in men's sprinting, and currently hold both the individual and team Olympic titles, France, arguably their closest rivals, were conspicuous by their absence in Manchester.

With Hoy nursing his injured hip, France collected both sprint titles at the World Championships in March, but he believes Great Britain's performance in Manchester will have given the French food for thought.

"I think in a way, the top French guys' absence is a good sign," he added. "It's a sign that they want to meet us on neutral territory and don't want us to get a psychological advantage.

"They've been here before for the World Championships [in 2008] and never gone as fast as that, so I think that ride will have given them a bit of a fright."