London 2012

Dr Darren Kenny OBE

Published 31 July 2012

Dr Darren Kenny OBE was made an honorary graduate of the University of Brighton in 2010. He is by far the most successful member of the GB paracycling team and will be looking to add to his achievements at London 2012.

Darren took up cycling at the age of 11 inspired by the Milk Race. When he was 18, an accident during the 1988 Junior Tour of Ireland appeared to cut short his Cycling career and Darren turned to focus on his education, earning qualifications in financial services.

He began racing again in 2000, primarily to keep fit, and after winning the National Disabled Circuit Championships and a silver medal at National Track Championships at Manchester in 2002, he was subsequently invited to join the GB Cycling Team.

Dr Darren Kenny OBE

Just one year later, at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Darren won two gold and a silver medal, setting new World Records in the 1km Time Trial and the 3km Individual Pursuit CP3. Darren maintained high levels of performance in the subsequent four year cycle, winning four gold and one silver medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Darren currently holds all World and Paralympic records in his class and has succeeded in multiple Para-Cycling World Cups and Pan-American, European and British Championships.

He has picked up a number of awards for his Cycling achievements, including BBC South’s Sports Personality of the Year 2005 and Disabled Sportsman of the Year 2004 and 2008. He has twice been nominated for the Laureus Awards in 2008 and 2009 and awarded an OBE in the 2009 New Year's Honours. He also has an honorary Doctorate from Bournemouth University.

He describes his personal career highlight to date as winning the Road Race at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, his last event of the competition.