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Born in the Murrayfield area of Edinburgh in 1976, Chris Hoy was educated at George Watsons College before studying at the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with a degree in applied sports science.
He competed in BMX racing from the age of seven, at one point being ranked second in the UK, and also represented Scotland in rowing before taking up track cycling.
That decision saw Hoy become Scotland’s greatest ever Olympian, winning six gold and one silver medal between 2012 and 2021. He also won 11 world titles and two Commonwealth gold medals.
Read more: ‘We’re all terminal’ - Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy on coming to terms with his cancer diagnosis
He lives in Edinburgh with his wife Sarra and their two children and was awarded a knighthood in the 2009 New Year Honours list.
In October 2024 he revealed he had been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2023 and had been given between two and four years to live.
And this week saw him mark his 50th birthday on Monday, March 26.
To mark the day here are 26 interesting quotes from the athlete over the years - including his reaction to his illness.
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5. Chris Hoy on...training
"As an elite athlete, I trained to win. Training was at times brutal - it has to be when you want to represent your country and to be the world's best." | Getty Images
6. Chris Hoy on...playing other sports
"Whatever sport I played - rugby, rowing - there were always naturally talented people who were better than me." | Getty Images
7. Chris Hoy on...completing for Scotland in the Commonwealth Games
"To win like that, in Scottish kit, in the U.K., beating the Olympic champion, hearing Scotland the Brave on the podium, I was very emotional." | Getty Images for The National Lo
8. Chris Hoy on...losing
"You know how hard you work. You know what you put into it. You want to win more than anything else. So the disappointment at the end is not because of anything other than being frustrated with yourself." | AFP via Getty Images