Steve Ovett's son swaps running for cycling

His dad may be best known for his battles with Sebastian Coe in the 1980s, but Freddy Ovett is keen to stamp his own sporting legacy in the world of cycling.

Ovett Junior has reportedly turned his back on running for life on two wheels with the Ag2r-La Mondiale development squad in France.

Born in Scotland, but raised in Victoria, Australia, Freddy was a promising middle distance runner but sustained a knee injury while at the University of Oregon pushed him towards cycling.

The 21-year-old hired former Tour de France Green Jersey winner Baden Cooke as his manager, who helped him secure his move to Europe.

“He (Cooke) spoke with Vincent Lavenu who is the head of the professional team and told him about my story,” Freddy told Australian newspaper The Advertiser.

“Baden and I discussed this at great length and figured that the French racing scene suited me best out of all the different racing scenes in the world.

“Deciding against the AIS under-23 program and going to a French under-23 team is obviously different to what most people would do, but we are convinced it’s the best thing for me.”

He added: “I weighed everything up, which was not easy as I was living out of home and supporting myself completely, and made the decision to go for it.

“Here I am in Europe a year on, riding for one of the biggest development teams in the world, funny how some things work out.”