Sir Chris praises his mum for her MBE

OLYMPIC champion Sir Chris Hoy praised his mother, who also received an honour for an outstanding career in nursing, after he was knighted yesterday.

Proud mum Carol Hoy would have missed seeing him knighted by Prince Charles as she was waiting in another part of the palace to be called to receive her MBE but royal officials allowed her to watch the ceremony and have a few private words with the Olympic champion.

Edinburgh-born Sir Chris, 33, won gold in the team sprint, men's sprint and the Keirin in Beijing, making him the first Briton to win three golds at one Olympics in 100 years.

Mum Carol, a retired 61-year-old nurse, is recognised as one of Britain's top nurses dealing with sleep-related illnesses and received an MBE for a career spanning more than 28 years.

After the ceremony, the cyclist said: "There are so many people like my mum who normally don't get recognised. It's people like her who dedicate their lives to their work and it's great this is acknowledged."

Mrs Hoy said: "It's a huge honour. To be together at the Palace... for a mum that means everything to me."