FARNWORTH'S golden boy Jason Kenny touched down at Manchester Airport wearing his medal and with a huge smile on his face.

He arrived back on home soil from Rio 2016 with fellow Olympians Ed Clancy, Joanna Rowsell Shand and Steven Burke.

The 28-year-old, who went to Mount St Joseph School in Farnworth, won three gold medals to take his overall tally to six golds and one silver, the same haul as Sir Chris Hoy, who is 12 years to the day his senior.

Kenny and his four-time Olympic champion fiancee Laura Trott have been hailed Britain's golden couple, embraced by the nation.

Kenny, long seen as Hoy's natural successor, has been happy to shun the limelight, but his astonishing ability on the bike has thrust him into the public consciousness.

Sponsors are sure to be calling the couple's management company Rocket, which is owned by Sir Elton John, as Kenny admitted earlier this week he currently does not have a single personal deal.

It is understood he has had offers, but wishes to have the right deal.

"Not when I came to the Games; not at this point in time, I haven't," Kenny said.

"It was just the done thing: you get a bit of success, you push yourself in the media and get a few deals and things.

"I tried that, but it didn't come naturally. I found it a bit frustrating, but as I got older I got a bit more mature and a bit more experience."

Trott, a winner of two gold medals in Rio to take her tally to a British female record of four, thinks Kenny will now be appreciated in the same way as tennis ace Andy Murray, who has taken time to secure the nation's affections.

"What more can he do? He has equalled Sir Chris Hoy," Trott, speaking at the adidas Creators Base in Rio, said.

"In the velodrome (on Tuesday) it felt weird. It felt like there was a switch and all of a sudden it was 'Jason, Jason, Jason'.

"And everyone wanted a piece of Jason. That was the first time I had really seen that."

The Union Flags had been waved, the large British contingent had sung the anthem - for a sixth time in the velodrome as Britain dominated for a third straight Games - and Kenny was a man in demand.

Put to her that she would have to share Kenny, the 24-year-old from Cheshunt said: "He's still mine."

The couple have 10 Olympic gold medals, but are forbidden by their parents from keeping them in their own home.

"They don't trust us," Trott said.

"We are not responsible enough to look after them. This might be the last couple of days that we actually have hold of them."

Kenny said: "Maybe when we retire, we'll frame them, put them on the wall."

Trott added: "We need two more. Then we could make a clock."