Hoy powers into history books as legend claims SIXTH Olympic gold with stunning victory in keirin
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Sir Chris Hoy became the most successful Briton in Olympic history with six gold medals after winning the keirin at the London 2012 velodrome.
After watching Laura Trott become a double Olympic champion with victory in the omnium and the retiring Victoria Pendleton denied a golden goodbye and a third Olympic gold as a result of a 2-0 sprint final loss to perennial rival Anna Meares of Australia, Hoy triumphed.
The 36-year-old took his Olympic gold medal-winning tally to five - level with Sir Steve Redgrave - on Thursday with victory in the team sprint and won the keirin in trademark fashion to send a partisan crowd into raptures.
Emotional: Sir Chris Hoy was tired and tearful after winning his SIXTH Olympic gold medal
Unbeatable: Sir Chris Hoy crosses the line to win gold in the men's keirin
Tears of Hoy: Sir Chris was emotional after his record-breaking win in the keirin
Germany's Maximilian Levy was second, while two bronze medals were awarded as Simon van Velthooven of New Zealand and Teun Mulder of Holland could not be separated by officials scrutinising the photo finish.
Hoy was third behind the motorised Derny at the and appeared boxed in as Awang Azizulhasni made his move just before the pace-setting bike left the track.
Well done: Sir Steve Redgrave congratulated Chris Hoy after the Scot beat his record
The Scot swiftly found a gap and eased to the front of the six-man final group before turning on the power in the final lap and into the final bend to triumph on the Olympic stage once more and successfully defend the title he won in 2008.
Hoy won one-kilometre time-trial gold in Athens eight years ago and triple Olympic gold four years later and was received by all members of the British coaching staff as he said goodbye to the Olympic stage for a final time.
Hoy does not expect to be in Rio in 2016 but admits the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 would be a 'dream ending'.
He's done it: Chris Hoy celebrates after crossing the line first in the keirin
Bring it on: Sir Chris Hoy managed to hold off his rivals for a superb win in the keirin
He told BBC1: 'I'm 99.9 per cent sure I won't be competing there in Rio. How can you top this? This is phenomenal. Glasgow? That's another question.
'If I can keep going to Glasgow that would be a dream ending for me but when you get to my age you can't look too far ahead, you have to focus on the here and now.'
On his keirin victory, he said: 'I'm in shock. You try to compose yourself and try to be able to take it all in but this surreal.
'This is what I always wanted. I wanted to win gold in front of my home crowd.
What a finish: Chris Hoy brought the curtain down on his Olympic career in record-breaking style
Smile for the cameras: Chris Hoy after winning the keirin to claim a sixth Olympic gold medal
'I've done the team sprint, I saw Jason (Kenny), the team pursuit girls, the team pursuit boys, everyone stepping up to the plate, Laura (Trott) today, and I just wanted to do my bit for the team as well. Thankfully it worked out.'
Hoy added: 'I can't express the feeling that I'm having right now, it's just unbelievable, it's the most amazing feeling.
'This is the perfect end to my Olympic career, I look back four Games ago to Sydney and I was just over the moon to have a silver medal.
Head and shoulders above the rest: Sir Chris Hoy
'If I'd stopped then I'd have been a happy boy but to have gone to Athens, Beijing and to here, I can't put into words what it means.
'There's no way I could have done it without the support team we've got here. This is very much a team effort and I'm literally just the one person you see at the top of the pile. There are 100 guys working away in the background that don't get the credit.
'I think people see the final polished product of the British team and they think we must be super confident, we must win all the time it must be easy for us, it's anything but.
The greatest ever: Sir Chris Hoy has more gold medals than any other Briton
'There have been some really difficult moments and to get through them all and succeed here, it's just one of the greatest feelings I've ever had.'
Hoy was the British flag-bearer at the opening ceremony on July 27, almost four years after carrying the Union Flag at the closing ceremony in Beijing, and was proud to note the hosts have surpassed their China tally across all 26 sports, with cycling leading the way.
'The Brits historically got used to being plucky losers and we'll support our lads and our lasses, but we don't expect to win anything' Hoy added.
'The World Cup in football, there's always tales of woe and penalty shoot-outs and it's like it's almost inevitable that the Brits are going to get beaten at some point.
'I think that's started to change; there's a change in that culture in sport. You now have a group of young athletes who have only seen success.
Sealed with a kiss: Chris Hoy with his SIXTH Olympic gold medal after winning the keirin
'Some of these young athletes have only seen Athens and Beijing and to them being part of a British team means you're part of a winning team.
'We got fourth place in Beijing and that was way beyond our expectations. We're lying third at the moment this time around and everybody's enjoying it.
'You feed off that enthusiasm and energy and the whole nation is proud of what we've achieved as a team.
'It's nice they've got something to genuinely cheer about.'
BOA chief executive Andy Hunt paid tribute to Hoy, saying: 'Sir Chris Hoy is a shining example of the very best of what British sport, and the Olympic Movement, stand for.
'We congratulate him on the extraordinary achievement of becoming the most successful British Olympian of all time.'
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