Britain’s most revered cycling athlete and golden medallist, hung up her wheels in 2024 but not without a long, note-worthy exhale. Applauded for her longtime dedication to the sport, with 29 medals under her belt, Kenny chose to retire early to be home with her family instead. In her parting interview, Kenny told the press that anxiety and nerves are par for the course with any high pressure sport – and it was a thing she had to find a way to deal with. To maintain her cool, and energise her blood flow, Kenny would practice a series of muscle relaxation techniques and deep breathing applications before every competition. Kenny maintains that proper, controlled breathing is a winning method for athletes as it helps to halt the racing mind; to instead think of nothing else but the breath, the full breath and nothing but the breath.

Laura’s breathing technique: The Unthinkable Breath – conscious controlled belly breathing to increase breath awareness, dilute the overwhelm and to stop overthinking.

Where she does it: in her locker room, or at the track before a race.

Why she does it: to support her busy mind, calm her nerves and maintain fierce focus.