Edgar Planning Commonwealth Revival

SCOTTISH Olympic hero Chris Hoy admitted his track dominance may be over before it’s even started – if Edinburgh’s Ross Edgar has anything to say about it.

The 25-year-old had to settle for silver in the men’s keirin final in Beijing in August after Hoy destroyed all-comers to claim a record third gold in the Loashan Velodrome.

Edgar – who marked his Olympic bow by finishing fifth in the individual pursuit in Athens – was later denied a second shot at gold in the team sprint in favour of Hoy, Jason Kenny and Jamie Staff.

But with the Commonwealth Games in India in 2010 already fast approaching – Hoy believes Edgar has what it takes to lead a new generation of Scottish cyclists.

“Scotland is very fortunate at the moment to have a very talented handful of Scottish cycling stars who are competing at the highest level,” said Hoy – who is an ambassador for the BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award, supported by Robinson’s.

“Ross was awesome in Beijing and I’m fully expecting to him to push on to even better things over the coming years.

“The Commonwealth Games in two years time will come along quickly and if all goes to plan Scotland will have a fantastic chance.

“There should be a whole generation of a younger breed of cyclists in this country dominating then and at London 2012 rather than the same people as Beijing.”

Edgar picked up team sprint bronze at his first Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 before adding gold and men’s sprint silver to his Scottish tally four years later.

However Edgar and co’s rising success on the track has been met by critics who believe GB’s growing domination is down to increased lottery funding rather than individual achievements.

But with a promised £100 million funding package between now and London 2012 currently under a cloud – Hoy admitted investing and improving facilities will be key to Edgar’s future successes.

“There needs to be investment if Ross is to continue cycling and really kick on,” added Hoy. “All you have to do is look at Australia – they had a poor Olympics and I believe that was because they sat back and took things a bit too easy.

“It’s crucial that Scotland don’t fall into the same trap and continue the amazing job that saw so much cycling success across the board in Beijing.”