Golden role model Hoy reminds us what really matters on and off the field of play is how we show up

Chris Hoy's cancer prognosis has delivered a jolting shock to the senses, a reminder that legendary Olympic medal winners are still human and as vulnerable as any of us to life's curveballs.

- Cath Bishop

With that, we have gained a powerful dose of a precious commodity in sport and beyond: perspective. Announced during cycling's world championships in Denmark, where Hoy was presenting, it was instantly impossible to see the next races as anything other than slightly frivolous, indulgent even. There was a new clarity that they were important but not what mattered most, no longer make or break or life-defining as commentators often suggest, and we searched for joy within these races, essential if they were to have any meaning.

Hoy has refocused our eyes on the bigger game we all play that lasts long after the finish line has been crossed, the medals awarded and the velodrome crowds gone home. He is clear that his cancer is not a win-lose game. His demeanour reminds me of the line: "For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, he writes - not that you won or lost - but how you played the game." It echoes beautifully for Hoy a century later. Turning to his old Olympic psychologist Prof Steve Peters for support, he reminds us of the importance of developing mentally as well as physically whenever faced with an immense challenge, and humbly shows that none of us comes ready or equipped for what life throws at us, Olympic champion or not.