Hoy out of European track championships with chest infection

Sir Chris Hoy has dropped out of the European track championships with a chest infection. He is expected to recuperate in time for the next World Cup race in Kazakhstan on November 4.

Hoy, 35, said on his Facebook page that he had put in a quick lap on the team sprint qualifying on Friday evening, but the team finished only fifth.

Great Britain coach Shane Sutton confirmed that Hoy had not been feeling well for a while, and then finally withdrew Saturday morning.  "Chris got up not feeling well. He was dizzy in the warm-up and after a doctor's exam we decided to withdraw him," said Sutton.

"He'll be disappointed - he was looking forward to the run-out here. The doctor says he's wheezing quite a lot and has blocked sinuses," said Sutton.

"He's had this lingering for about a week but he went quite deep yesterday, in the team sprint, and that one effort probably pushed him over the edge. It's best for him to stop now, go home, recuperate and get ready for [the next World Cup race in] Kazakhstan."

Hoy boasts four Olympic gold medals and ten World titles in his 12-year career.