Cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy says he will not risk his gold medal chances by chasing three Olympic titles at the 2012 Games in London.

The three-time Beijing champion is one gold short of rower Sir Steve Redgrave’s career record of five.

But the Scot, who will be 36 in 2012, said: “I wouldn’t risk losing a gold medal for the sake of having three bronzes or three silvers.

“It’s about winning gold medals and I’d rather have one than three silvers.”

Hoy became Britain’s second most successful Olympian when he powered to three track cycling titles at the Laoshan Velodrome last year.

But despite his overwhelming success, Hoy admitted he took a risk entering four events in the space of five days in Beijing and could easily have returned empty handed.

London’s Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has today released aerial images that show the progress of construction on the velodrome for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The images, taken last month, show that work has begun on the sweeping roof that will enclose the eventual structure and have been released to coincide with a visit by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) to the Olympic site in east London.

Dubbed one of the ‘Big Five’ venues at the site, the ODA today said it was pleased with the progress of the project.

“With construction work on the Olympic Park approaching its peak, the ‘Big Five’ venues are already becoming landmarks on the east London skyline and show how much progress has been made since the IOC Coordination Commission visited earlier this year,” said ODA Chairman John Armitt.

Representatives from the IOC are this week touring the site that will be the focal point for Olympic and Paralympic competition in 2012. The Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) Sebastian Coe indicated today that the venues have been designed to provide a lasting legacy beyond the Games themselves.

“In a little under 1,000 days time, the eyes of the world will fall upon this part of east London,” he said. “The area is being transformed, creating new communities, new housing, and state-of-the-art sporting facilities. It is abundantly clear from these photographs that this piece of regeneration is well under way.

“Over the next year or so, we look forward to seeing the ODA continuing its excellent work so far and seeing the Olympic Park come to life – both for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012 but also for generations to come.”