Britain's most successful Olympian Chris Hoy is to retire from track cycling.

The 37-year old has decided against continuing after next year's Commonwealth Games at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in his native Scotland, during his career he won six Olympic golds and one silver.

He also won more than 50 medals of various hues at world level, including 11 world championship golds with a combination of power, endurance, fearless aggression and iron will.

The Scot won his first Olympic gold in the 1km time trial in Athens, a monumental effort after the world record had been beaten three times before he made it four on the final ride.

It was at Beijing where Hoy caught the attention by locking out his opponents.

Britain won seven of the 10 available golds, with Hoy taking three of them in the team and individual sprints and the keirin - the first Briton to win three in a single games for 100 years - having had to redesign his training after his favoured 1km time trial had been dropped from the programme.

More changes to the format worked against him for 2012, where he eventually won two gold medals. In the lead-up to the games, a rule limiting countries to one rider per event set up a three-year battle between Hoy and Jason Kenny to see who would get the solo sprint slot.

When Kenny was selected over the reigning champion, Hoy was the first to congratulate his rival, said that it was the right decision, and was on hand to cheer Kenny home when the move was vindicated by the younger man's victory in London.

The two were reunited to win the team sprint but Hoy left his best until last with a keirin performance that will live forever with the 7,000 lucky enough to be inside the velodrome and millions more watching the 60kph action on TV.

Coming off the back straight Hoy looked certain to be overhauled by German Maximilian Levy, poised in the perfect position on his shoulder, but the Scot somehow summoned even more power from his superhuman thighs to hold his rival off in a roof-raising triumph.

Presented by Adam Justice

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https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/sir-chris-hoy-confirms-retirement-cycling-458667