Paris 2024: Sarah Storey wants to create more history at her ninth Paralympics

Sarah Storey is the most successful British Paralympian of all time with 17 gold medals. She won three gold medals (pursuit C5, road race C4-5, and road time trial C5) at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and aims to defend her titles at Paris 2024. 

Storey shot to stardom in Barcelona 1992, winning six medals in her Paralympic debut. She competed at four Games as a Para swimmer and switched to Para cycling ahead of the Beijing 2008 Games. And she has been unstoppable since then, capturing a total of 12 cycling gold medals. 

We caught up with the British star as she prepares for her ninth Paralympics.

 

 Paralympics No. 9

We are approaching the Paralympic Games. How are you feeling and how are you preparing for the Games?

I’m feeling really good and have started the year as fit as I have ever been.

Road courses change, so whilst there are some fundamental principles of training to retain health and continue to improve, the different location of the course means it should be far easier to get out to recce the courses.

This is the first Games where I won’t have to rely on someone else arranging for me to look at the course. In Beijing [2008] we had a team trip, in London [2012] we had a motor circuit course so that needed specific logistics, in Rio [2016] there was no support from Great Britain cycling team to get out there and for Tokyo the pandemic meant there was no pre-Games visit for anyone.

 

 Looking back at Tokyo, did you go into the Games with the target of three gold medals?

There was a lot of distraction from the fact that I couldn’t go away with (my son) Charlie who was still breastfeeding. At one point I was considering only going to race on the road so I wouldn’t be away so long.

I knew there was the overall British record of 16 gold medals and that not racing the track would mean I could only equal it if everything went to plan, but my children come first. 

Charlie and Louisa were included in the discussions and wanted me to do all three, so it was only quite late on that everything got finalised. I think that helped the enormity of what I was trying to do – defend the three titles I had won in Rio [2016]. 

One of the reasons you won the history-making C4-5 road race in Tokyo in rainy conditions was that you had inspected the route in advance.

Can you explain how it gave you an advantage?

One of my strengths is my ability to recce a course and to replay this in detail as I prepare away from the physical riding. I always look at the technical parts and for the different lines and exits of corners.

In the road race there was a lot you couldn’t see because of the rain and there were times when I was riding with my eyes shut! 

There was also a corner at the bottom of the descent with an overhanging tree that everyone was slowing down to go round. I knew what the corner looked like as I had worked out what it was like with the overhang in the way. 

On the final lap when I had to pull out all the stops, I took the descent at over 80 kilometres per hour and didn’t brake for the corner, I ducked under the branch instead and that’s what made the difference. 

 

You chose not to use your brakes on that final descent. Was it as much of a risk as it sounds?

It was a risk but I also have had plenty of experience handling my bike in lots of different conditions. I knew what my tires were capable of and how to distribute my weight. 

It’s one of the reasons why there are no guarantees in road racing and why it’s so hard to prepare fully for.  Making good decisions under pressure is a skill that is hard to learn but vital. 

 

What are your aims for Paris 2024?

There is obviously the defending champion target.  For me it would be amazing to win again and say I have won medals at nine consecutive summer Games. I don’t think anyone in any sport has ever done that.

 

Sport and motherhood

How difficult is it to maintain the work/life balance with the children, Louisa and Charlie?

I have a schedule that works around term-time, with school holidays in the winter being the best time for overseas training. During term-time I tend to train in one half of the day and work in the other half of the day. 

Planning rest days from training to coincide with time when the children are not at school can be hard, but I usually manage it once a month. In school holidays I will work remotely if we are overseas and so that means I have more time with them too.

If I can manage one or two school drops each week and be home for most bedtimes then that makes everything a lot easier.

 

Are they impressed when mummy is on TV?  

My events that have been on TV are all events they have been to. The only World Championships I have done that has been on TV were the Glasgow Worlds (in 2023). They were there on the roadside and got on TV with me!

Louisa is going to be 11 before the Games and starting senior school straight after, so she understands the enormity of what I have achieved. Charlie is looking forward to attending a Games for the first time.

Are they showing any signs of following in your footsteps? Would you like them to?

I genuinely don’t mind so long as they love whatever they are doing and work hard to find their best.
Louisa is a dancer and a bit of an all-rounder at sport. Very good at running, swimming and netball, but has also started playing football and getting into hockey. Last year she raced in the modern biathlon British Championships.

She competed for Team England at the dance world cup finals last year and won bronze with her team. This year she’s moved up an age and is on the reserve list.

Charlie enjoys all sports and has raced his first biathlon while we were in Lanzarote. He’s playing football and looking forward to playing cricket in the summer. He also plays a bit of badminton and loves riding his bike.

Both Louisa and Charlie started bike racing in 2023 and enjoyed it. I am sure they’ll want to do more this year too. There’s genuinely no pressure from us, sport needs to be fun above all else.

 

 

You had five Paralympic gold medals by the age of 19.

What would the teenage you have said if you had told her you would still be competing in elite sport decades later?

I don’t think she would have believed you. I had never imagined I’d switch to a different sport [from swimming].  I have always worked alongside my training because you never know when things might not work out. 

When I crashed at the 2022 road World Cup, in the week prior to the World Championships, I was in a bad way. Broken ribs affected my plural cavity and my left lung started to collapse. I was lucky not to have a pneumothorax but the lasting damage of that was hard to manage.

I think my body was in overdrive for the entire second half of 2022 and whilst I somehow dragged myself through to win on the track at the 2022 track worlds, I wasn’t in a good place physically. 

I did think maybe that was my body saying enough is enough, but I followed the process that had worked for me previously and last year I was as strong as ever.

 

Book your tickets for the Paralympic Games by visiting the Paris 2024 ticketing website.