Cyclist Hoy to carry Great Britain's flag in London

London, England – Multiple gold medalist Chris Hoy will carry Great Britain's flag at the opening ceremony for the London Olympic games, it was announced Monday.

Hoy will become the first cyclist to ever carry a country's flag at an opening ceremony when the London games are formally opened on Friday. He said the honor "really is something special."

"I remember watching the opening ceremony at Sydney 2000 from our accommodation because we were competing on the second day and just being so excited by it," Hoy said in a release. "I really hoped I would get the chance to be involved one day, so to get this opportunity is fantastic."

The 36-year-old Hoy is the most successful British track cyclist in history. He won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics, then took his first gold four years later.

The 2008 Beijing games were especially successful for Hoy, who pulled off three gold medals -- in the sprint, keirin and team sprint. He then carried the British flag at the closing ceremony and was knighted several months later.

He was chosen for the most recent honor through a two-step process. British Olympic officials and team leaders came up with a nine-person short list, and a group of 31 athlete representatives chose Hoy to carry the flag.

Hoy will be defending two of his gold medals during the games -- the team sprint and keirin. Jason Kenny was chosen to ride the individual sprint.