Dame Laura Kenny has been voted the UK Sportswoman of the 21st Century in a public vote held by BBC Radio 5Live Breakfast.
The 33-year-old came out top from a list of 15 sportswomen who were shortlisted for their impact in UK sport since 2000.
The list included several fellow Olympic gold medallists, including Dame Kelly Holmes and Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill.
“[I’m] genuinely shocked that people actually voted for me against some of the most incredible female sports women. Women’s sport is growing and I’m glad I could help in some way,” Kenny said on Instagram.
Kenny is Team GB’s most successful female Olympian with five gold medals and one silver medal at the games.
Her fifth gold in the madison at Tokyo 2020 made her the first female athlete to win five Olympic gold medals for Team GB.
She triumphed in both the team pursuit and omnium at London 2012 and Rio 2016 to make it a clean sweep at her first two Olympics, before writing her name into the history books with the omnium gold and a silver in the team pursuit in 2021.
But her honours list is not restricted to Olympic medals as seven world titles and 14 European titles make superlatives easy to come by as the accolades stack up to make her Britain’s most successful female cyclist.
Despite her sporting brilliance, Kenny was not expecting to receive the title of UK Sportswoman of the 21st Century.
"I thought Lucy [Bronze] would win,” she admitted on BBC 5Live. “The way the Lionesses have just grown in confidence, grown in ability, grown in the way that they present themselves to the outer world to inspire the next generation has been absolutely unbelievable.
"I want to sit here and thank the Lionesses, but also - from a very personal level - Jessica Ennis-Hill has always been an idol to me.
“Not just in the sporting world, but in the way that she kind of adopted me as another mother trying to compete and trying to go for another Olympic Games.”
Kenny, who received her Damehood in 2022, has also made an impact beyond her medals, speaking openly about motherhood, miscarriage and women’s access to sport.
She was the guest editor on an episode of Radio 4’s Today programme and addressed the impact of elite sport on women and has also hosted the Telegraph Women’s Sport Podcast, covering topics such as body image, sexism and the menopause.
Kenny is now the president of Commonwealth Games England, becoming the youngest person to hold the position when she took the reins in March 2025.
In that capacity, she has expressed her determination to ensure sport is accessible to young children at school as she looks to use the influence she gained on the track to make change off it.
It is testament to that commitment to make an impact both while competing and after that she has been recognised by the public as the UK Sportswoman of the Century.
Sportsbeat 2025