Sarah Storey won gold in the women’s C5 time trial at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. This victory wasn’t just any gold medal; it marked her 18th gold, further extending her record as the most successful British Paralympian. (Full Paralympics Coverage | More Sports News)
Born without a functioning left hand ,the 46-year-old Sarah is not just any Paralympian; her medal tally at the Summer Games even surpasses the overall Paralympic medal counts of a few countries.
With 29 Paralympic medals, including 18 golds, Sarah holds the record as the most successful and most decorated British Paralympian of all time. She also ranks among the most decorated Paralympic athletes globally.
This 18th gold was especially personal for Sarah, not just as another achievement but because it was the first time her six-year-old son, Charlie, was able to see her in action. The heartache of leaving him behind for the Tokyo Games was now a distant memory.
Sarah, who is solely competing in road events at Paris 2024, is taking part in her ninth Games - the most ever for a British athlete.
Her stunning performances and the number of gold medals are awesome, yet just a few steps away from the record of Ihar Boki. The Belarus swimmer has secured 21 gold medals within the history of the Paralympic Games, whereas Sarah has secured 18. On September 6, she still has a chance to add another gold to the medal count in the Women's Road Race C4-5.
It may take another Paralympic edition for her to level with Boki, but both are legends in their own right.
Sarah isn’t just a legend in para cycling; she’s also facing a new kind of pressure as she chases even more unprecedented success. Her Paralympic career began in the pool at Barcelona 1992 as a 14-year-old and progressed through to Athens a dozen years later. Since then, she has moved onto the cycling arena.
Now, aged 46, she looks back on the Paralympics and their legacy, wishing they can keep having an impact on society as they take inspiration from past Games, yet realizing there is still much work ahead.
On her long list of achievements, Sarah had won 29 World Championships out of which 6 were in swimming and the rest of 23 in cycling. Similarly, she had won 21 European Championship titles wherein 18 were in swimming and the rest in cycling. She also holds an astonishing 75 world records and is widely regarded as one of the most experienced and accomplished athletes in Paralympic history.
At her peak, Sarah’s progress was so remarkable that she competed at the elite level in able-bodied track cycling. During this time, she was part of the Great Britain Olympic squad for team pursuit and won several UCI Track Cycling World Cup gold medals in the event.
She came incredibly close to breaking the women’s hour world record, missing it by less than 600 meters, but she did set the national record.
When talking about who she is, it’s clear that Sarah Storey is a true legend—she still holds the para world records in the women’s 3000m individual pursuit and the hour record. She is 46 and still riding on her cycle like an absolute hero.
