Sir Chris Hoy received a rousing standing ovation from a sold-out Aberdeen Music Hall after delivering an emotional and deeply personal interview at the Ultimate Masterclass Festival.
The six-time Olympic gold medallist held the 1,300-strong audience spellbound as he reflected on both the triumphs of his career and the challenges of his battle with stage-four prostate cancer.
The evening - hosted by Ryan Crighton - combined raw honesty with humour, as Sir Chris revisited his journey from a BMX-riding child inspired by E.T. to becoming one of Britain’s most decorated Olympians.
He recalled his early days at Manchester Velodrome, his breakthrough silver in Sydney 2000, and the psychological tools learned from working with Steve Peters that helped him conquer Athens, Beijing and London.
The audience laughed with him as he shared lighter moments, including the time he was locked out of the Glasgow velodrome that now bears his name.
But it was when the discussion turned to his 2023 cancer diagnosis that the Music Hall fell silent. Sir Chris described going to his doctor with an aching shoulder, expecting a sporting injury, only to be told his life had changed forever.
He spoke movingly about the waves of grief that followed, the physical pain of treatment, and the mental reframing that allowed him to face the illness like another sporting challenge.
Central to his story was the role of his family. Sir Chris praised his wife Sarra - herself living with multiple sclerosis - as “the epitome of selflessness,” and described the relief of finally telling his young children, Callum and Chloe, about his illness after initially shielding them from the news.
Drawing on lessons from sport, he explained how he continues to set goals and focus on “controlling the controllables” as he lives with stage-four cancer. He urged for earlier prostate cancer screening and shared his determination to defy statistics, telling the audience: “Why can’t I be the one to beat the odds?”
His final words of the evening — “Life is not here to be won or lost. It is here just to be lived” — brought the audience to its feet for a lengthy ovation.
The event was supported by TotalEnergies, TWMA, Friends of ANCHOR, AFC Community Trust, Viaro Energy, SRE Group, alongside UMF delivery partners BoConcept, AXV Audio Visual, Luxe Scot and The Chester Hotel.