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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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9. Chris Hoy on...getting into cycling
"I was six when I saw 'ET.' It changed my life. I wasn't interested in cycling at all before." | Getty Images
10. Chris Hoy on...targets
"It doesn't matter what your target is, write down your goal and then plan how you are going to achieve it." | Getty Images for Laureus
11. Chris Hoy on...drugs culture in cycling
"I've become Olympic champion six times and I've never taken a performance-enhancing drug in my life, but I was lucky in that I never even had the choice. I never had pressure and I never had a person come to me saying, 'You should do this.'" | Getty Images for HSBC
12. Chris Hoy on...his first gold medal
"The Manchester games in 2002 was the breakthrough for me because I won my first individual Gold medal and that gave me the confidence to maybe think I could be a world beater." | Getty Images for Silverstone Cla