Sir Chris Hoy’s father David was diagnosed with prostate cancer just six weeks before the cycling hero’s record-breaking Olympic medal triumph at London 2012.
Britain’s greatest-ever Olympian, who has stunned the nation with the revelation that his own prostate cancer is terminal, recalled being told the shock news of his father’s diagnosis in his 2012 autobiography.
But unlike Sir Chris, David’s cancer was caught early and treated successfully. Sir Chris’s grandfather also suffered from prostate cancer.
Despite undergoing chemotherapy, Sir Chris, 48, has been told by doctors he has only between two and four years of life left.
In his memoir, Chris Hoy: The Autobiography, the athlete recalled coming home early from a gruelling training camp in Germany, racked with pain from an injury before receiving the news about his father David.
Chris Hoy celebrates with his father David Hoy after winning gold in the Keirin during The Beijing Olympic Games on August 16, 2008 in Beijing, China
Friends and family of Sir Chris Hoy of Great Britain including his father David Hoy (centre checked shirt) celebrate as he wins the Mens Sprint Finals during the UCI Track Cycling World Cup - LOCOG Test Event for London 2012 at the Olympic Velodrome on February 19, 2012 in London
Gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy of Great Britain celebrates during the medal ceremony for the Mens Keirin Track Cycling Final on Day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Velodrome on August 7, 2012 in London
‘At 7pm the next evening, my dad called and said he had news for me. And then he told me, perfectly calmly, that he had prostate cancer. It hits you like a sledgehammer.
‘Fortunately, after more tests later, the news on my dad was more positive. The doctors seem pretty optimistic that it’s treatable. But the relief came later: at the time it was pretty awful for the whole family.’
Sir Chris carried the Union Flag as he led Team GB into the Olympic stadium, then conquered his anxiety and pre-Games injury worries to claim gold in the velodrome in both the keirin and team sprint.
And his proud dad and mum Carol were there to roar him on with every turn of the pedal.
After witnessing Sir Chriss gold medal in the keirin event, David famously unfurled a sign reading ‘The Real McHoy’.
And the esctatic dad told reporters: ‘I am just so proud of him on every level. I am going to start crying. You bottle everything up and then it all comes out.’
The news explained Sir Chriss enthusiasm for that year’s Movember moustache growing charity event in which he raised funds for Prostate Cancer UK.
Carol and David Hoy, parents of Sir Chris Hoy, in the stands before the 2014 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony at Celtic Park, Glasgow
Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy with then-fiance Sarra Kemp(r) and parents David and Carol, after he received an honorary degree at St Andrews University, where he was once a student
Sir Chris Hoy with Mum Carol (right) Dad David (left)
In the UK, about 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to Prostate Cancer UK.
The disease mainly affects men over 50, and the risk increases with age. The risk is even higher for black men and those with a family history of prostate cancer.
Just before Christmas, Sir Chris’s wife Sarra, 40, learned she has a very active and aggressive type of multiple sclerosis, which was degenerative and incurable, after experiencing a tingling sensation in her face and tongue and undergoing a scan; on bad days she can struggle to open the front door with her key.
Nevertheless, against all the odds, Hoy has managed to stay positive.
Im not trying to pretend that every day is amazing, he said in an interview with the Sunday Times. But I have genuine moments of joy... Im back to my old self.
David Hoy, father of Sir Chris Hoy of Team GB visits the P&G Nearest and Dearest Zone in Team GB House on July 27, 2012 in London
Carol and David Hoy arriving for the Sports Personality of the Year Awards 2012, at the ExCel Arena, London
Carol and David Hoy show off a banner supporting their son Chris following his victory in the Mens Keirin Final during the UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the Manchester Velodrome on March 29, 2008 in Manchester, England
Social media platforms were flooded with tributes and support for Hoy, one of our greatest Olympians, after the news broke on Saturday.
Fellow Olympic cyclist Sir Mark Cavendish called him a hero of a human being. Rugby World Cup winner Matt Dawson said his legacy was second to none and British Winter Olympic champion Amy Williams wrote: A pure superhuman who everyone loves.