Going for gold

Beijing could see Chris Hoy taking his place alongside Olympic legends such as Coe, Redgrave and Pinsent, says Richard Moore

CHRIS Hoy is a pragmatist rather than a dreamer, and so he doesn't waste valuable time imagining what could happen if he wins a second consecutive Olympic gold medal in Beijing in August. Only occasionally, in a moment of weakness, does he catch himself dreaming – such as on Christmas Day, which he spent with his sister and family in Northampton.

It is one of the secrets of being a top athlete that you train on Christmas Day. Even if you are due a day off, you train. Even if it is raining, even if it is snowing, you train, because others might take Christmas Day off. It is for psychological rather than physiological reasons that it is important to train on Christmas Day.

And so Hoy set out on Tuesday morning in the cold and rain for a two-hour road ride. "I was soaked to the skin, pretty cold, wishing I was still in Australia," he says, "and I caught myself day dreaming, thinking about Beijing.

"Thinking about longer-term targets can keep you going on days like that," he continues, "but generally I don't do it. I don't look forward or back. I'm totally focused on my short-term goals. Usually it's the next training session. I have to be 100% committed to that. If I'm not, there's really no point in thinking further ahead."

It is therefore left to others to project forward on his behalf and to imagine what 2008 could bring. One commentator claimed recently that Hoy is already a "worthy contender to be considered Scotland's greatest ever sportsman", but a second Olympic gold medal would make him almost a shoo-in. In British terms, he is also "only" that far away from becoming one of the country's all-time great Olympians – up there with the Coes and Redgraves and Pinsents. With another gold medal, he would go to London in 2012 as a living legend.

Yet Hoy is currently, in Olympic terms, only half-way through his career. It should be another seven years before the retrospectives can be written with any true sense of perspective, since Hoy says that his swansong will be not in London in 2012 but in Glasgow at the Commonwealth Games in 2014. He will be 38 – and, he insists, still competitive.

Much, however, depends on Beijing, where Hoy has a very decent chance of joining fellow Scottish double gold-medallists Angus Gillan (rowing, 1908, 1912), Rodney Pattison (sailing, 1968, 72), and Shirley Robertson (sailing 2000, 2004). In Hoy's case, what would make such an achievement even more remarkable is that his event, the kilometre – which he has dominated, and in which he is reigning Olympic champion – has been dropped from the Olympics.

He has had to alter direction at the peak of his career, yet he has done so with such aplomb that he can travel to Beijing knowing that if he performs to his potential, he can win one gold medal – and possibly two. The team sprint and keirin are both clear targets, while a third event, the individual sprint, is a long shot.

In many ways – in terms of his profile, and earning power – it is Beijing or bust for Hoy. It shouldn't be, of course. His palmares – the term used to describe a cyclist's CV – glitters with the gold dust of spectacular and sustained success, not least in the form of seven world titles, five of them in individual events.

But the reality is that his status and standing, in the eyes of the British sporting public, will largely be determined by whether in Beijing he can emerge from the rough-and-tumble of the six-man keirin at the head of affairs, and/or anchor the three-man British team to an against-the-odds victory over the awesome French in the team sprint.

"You become more aware of what's possible when people keep reminding you of it," says Hoy with a laugh.

"It's only when you go to a reception (he was recently honoured with a civic reception by Edinburgh Council] and they list what you've done, and you think, 'God, I've been going a while now.'

"I only realised recently that if we can win a medal in the team sprint at the world championships (in Manchester in March] then that'll be ten years in a row that I've won a medal in that event. If you'd told me that in Berlin in 1999 I just wouldn't have believed it."

"But I know you're judged on the Olympics. In the eyes of the public, it's the be-all and end-all. The problem, or challenge, is that it's so difficult to sustain that level of performance from one Olympics to the next. There are unique pressures that come with being Olympic champion. There are lifestyle changes, which you have to adapt to, and not everyone does."

Hoy admits there was a minor "wobble" after Athens, but since then he has not only adapted to the stress and strains of being Olympic champion, but flourished in the face of them. Last season was his best ever, with two world titles, in the kilo and keirin, and a new 500m world record.

It is remarkable that he has sustained his enthusiasm, if nothing else. How has he done it – and how does he continue doing it for more than a decade? "Ultimately I love what I do," he says, "and I genuinely love training. I think that's what's carried me through."

Hoy's point about the challenge to remain at the top is illustrated by the fact that his main rivals in the sprint cycling events – Theo Bos of Holland, Ryan Bayley of Australia, Arnaud Tournant of France – have failed to match the Edinburgh rider's consistency.

Bayley is the double Olympic champion who, since Athens, has flattered to deceive. Tournant is the kilo world record holder who seemed to peak in his early 20s and now, at 29, is rumoured to be heading for retirement after Beijing. Bos is the fiercely talented self-styled fastest man in the world, or "the Boss",

who was whipped by Hoy in the kerin at the world championships.

None should be written off. But this far out from Beijing, Hoy seems to have the measure of each of them, not least since he has started the winter 2007/08 season in fine style, winning the keirins at both the Sydney and Beijing World Cups.

The keirin is thrilling and dangerous. It is also unpredictable. Or it should be. But Hoy, since making his international debut at the Los Angeles World Cup last season, is unbeaten. He has won 18 , heats and finals, and after each one repeats his mantra: "You could run that race six times and get six different winners."

You can see his point. There are any number of variables and potential scenarios. Yet Hoy is, somehow, developing an aura of invincibility.

The team sprint is the other gold medal possibility. It is less of a lottery. Tactics don't come into it. But the French appear invincible. The British team – which could be the all-Scots line-up of Hoy, Craig MacLean and Ross Edgar – have some work to do.

It is clear, though, that his success in the keirin has fired Hoy's enthusiasm. Frankly, no-one – even Hoy – expected him to be so good at it. His success so far has owed to the successful deployment of an apparently simple strategy: he starts at the front, tucked in behind the motorcycle pacer, and, while others tend to get involved in argy-bargy behind him, he ramps up the pace and stays at the front, out of trouble. His victories have owed everything to sheer power and little to tactical nous.

"Obviously the others know how I ride," acknowledges Hoy. "But knowing what I'm going to do and being able to do something about it are two different things.

"I've found a formula that works for me, but I want to try different tactics between now and the Olympics, so I'd be surprised I keep my unbeaten record to Beijing.

"It's not that I want to be beaten, but I will be trying different things, because I'd like to add more strings to my bow."

A third event he is likely to contest in Beijing is the individual sprint. A medal in that would be a bonus, you would assume. But Hoy says he wouldn't be doing it if he didn't think he could medal, at least.

"If I do the sprint as well as the keirin and team sprint then it'll be because I believe I can win that too," he says.

So he could, theoretically, win three gold medals. In which case, we'd be talking, this time next year, to Chris Hoy, 2008 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, surely? He laughs. "No. I went there in 2002, as Commonwealth champion, and cycling got a nano-second of coverage. I read people saying it was outrageous that Vicky (Pendleton, the triple world champion] and me weren't on the shortlist this year, but it makes me laugh. What do they expect? I certainly don't expect a cyclist to win it. The award isn't for performances, it's for profile."

Hoy insists he concerns himself only with things he can control. Such as training. Especially training.

"You have to be totally focused on your short-term goals, approach each (training] session with 100% commitment, then tick that box and think about the next one," he says.

"But having said that, I do know that if I went to London as a double Olympic champion, and then had the chance to finish my career in front of my home crowd in Glasgow at the Commonwealth Games… well, that would be the stuff of dreams."

MEDAL CHANCE 1:KEIRIN
Comes from Japan, where betting on keirin racing is worth $7.5bn a year. The international keirin that features in the Olympics is a little different, with a motorcycle-pacer leading six cyclists around the track, increasing the pace to around 30mph then peeling off to allow the riders to fight for the line.

Chris Hoy is world champion in the discipline and unbeaten in the 18 international keirins he has contested since taking up the event at last year's World Cup in Los Angeles.

MEDAL CHANCE 2:TEAM SPRINT
Britain has proved a powerhouse in this discipline; Hoy has featured in every British team since 1999, medalling each year. But the French currently look almost unbeatable. It is an event where two teams of three start on opposite sides of the track; after one lap the leading rider swings up the banking; after two the second rider peels off, leaving the anchor – usually Hoy – to ride the final lap alone against his opponent.

MEDAL CHANCE 3:INDIVIDUAL SPRINT
One of the most straightforward of track events. Two riders, four laps, one winner. However, match sprinting is highly tactical, with cat-and-mouse style manoeuvres; sometimes the riders come to a complete halt, trying to force the other to take the lead. Sprinting is decided in best-of-three-laps heats.

OTHER SCOTS TO WATCH IN 2008

ALAN HUTTON (FOOTBALL)
Perhaps the most impressive accolade given to Hutton of late was not a medal but a mention in the top ten of World Soccer Magazine's Young Player of the Year rankings. It's an indication of just how great an impression the 23-year-old right back has made in the colours of both Rangers and Scotland. His contributions as both defender and attacking catalyst sufficed to win a new five-season deal at Ibrox last summer but that hasn't stopped the Premiership vultures circling with Spurs reportedly ready to spend £7m for his services.

MARC WARREN (GOLF)
"Top that" was the challenge to Marc Warren after the Rutherglen native became the European Tour's Rookie of the Year in 2006. And he answered the challenge by finishing 42nd on the 2007 Order of Merit while delighting his home support with victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. Add in his role to pairing Monty to the World Cup and it wasn't a bad haul all round. However, Warren's next task is to become the consistent contender, week in and out, that might elevate him into Ryder Cup contention.

DAVE CALLAM (RUGBY)
Disappointed not to feature more prominently in the Rugby World Cup, Edinburgh's No.8 has a point to prove to Frank Hadden as the 2008 Six Nations comes into view. Knee surgery following Scotland's quarter-final exit hampered that effort but, now fully fit, Callam is eager to claim the back row spot which has belonged to Simon Taylor in recent times. His current priority, though, is Edinburgh where Andy Robinson sees him as a key to digging the club out of the mire.

CALUM MacLEOD (CRICKET)
Few young Scotland cricketers have emerged with as much hype as MacLeod but so far, the teenager from Lanarkshire has proven his judges astute. Having represented his country at every level from under-12 upwards, he gained his first senior cap last summer against the UAE after being, surprisingly, overlooked for the World Cup. After spending two summers as an apprentice with Warwickshire, the seamer was handed a two-year contract on his 19th birthday by their director of cricket, Ashley Giles. "I know the one thing I won't have to do is push him to work," Giles said. Which is why MacLeod will spend Hogmanay learning his trade in Sydney, and not at home.

KIRSTY BALFOUR (SWIMMING)
Arguably Scotland's brightest hope for individual gold at the 2008 Olympics, Edinburgh-based Balfour has not regressed since emerging on to the international stage five years ago. A relay finalist in Athens, the breast stroke specialist broke the European record when she won silver in the 200m at the 2006 European Championships and raised the bar by repeating that finish at this year's World's in Melbourne. Often citing her Christian faith for helping her stay calm in the heat of competition, Balfour's relatively young age, 23, means she can retain dreams of conquest on home soil at London 2012. But first China beckons.

EUAN BURTON (JUDO)
Having won bronze medals at this year's European and world championships, 28-year-old Burton is being strongly touted as a likely Olympic medallist in Beijing. However, it is his link-up with Sir Clive Woodward's pilot elite performance scheme that has caught the eye, giving him extra assistance through a range of experts. The guidance, funded by the BOA, has included instruction in the art of juggling and pressure management. However, Burton, who trains in Edinburgh, has shrugged off the sceptics and is focusing instead on the gold medal dream he has held since the age of six.

MARK WOODS