Paralympic gold again for the outstanding Sarah Storey

‘Unbeatable’ Storey takes 14th gold in dream return

DAME SARAH STOREY won her 14th Paralympic gold medal as her daughter, Louisa, demonstrated an uncanny ability to match nap-time with her mum’s big moments.

As the three-year-old slept — she later made an appearance for the celebrations — Storey decimated the field to win the C4-5 road race by an incredible three minutes and 29 seconds and claim her third title in 10 days. London 2012, where she won four golds, may have been her greatest Games but Rio 2016, where her rivals branded her unbeatable, witnessed a remarkable comeback.

After the birth of Louisa, Storey sat on the sofa at home in Manchester and wondered if she would ever be at the pinnacle of her sport again. ‘There was a point where I’d gained four stone,’ she said, ‘I never thought I was coming back to anything, let alone to win three more.

‘I returned without any expectation. If it didn’t work, it didn’t work and I’d tried. But it has worked and I’m really enjoying the fact I’ve got my family here. Louisa asleep as seems to be her trademark when mum’s racing.’

Storey, her husband Barney, parents and inlaws are in Rio sharing an apartment. She has credited their willingness to travel as she competes on the road circuit year round with her ability to balance motherhood and being an elite athlete.

But she admitted it has been a challenge. ‘People say it’s no different for mums than for dads but I think it is,’ she said. ‘If little one wakes at night the first thing they shout is mum. So dads can go to sleep on the other side of the house — and I know cyclists who have done that until their kids have left school. You’re never off duty as a woman, which is fine, that’s the life you sign up for when you wanted to have a baby, but it does create different challenges.’

During training sessions at home Storey would reach the top of a hill climb then take a moment to breast- feed before getting back on her bike again. It is that dedication to the sport that has seen the 38-year-old rise back to the top and claim the C5 time trial and individual pursuit titles that preceded yesterday’s victory on the beachfront.

‘At this time she is unbeatable,’ said her British teammate Crystal Lane, who sprinted to a thrilling bronze.

Her appetite for a challenge marks Storey out as exceptional and after a brief celebration she has set her sights on riding against able-bodied peers at the World Championship in Qatar next month. British Cycling selectors are currently considering her application.

‘If they want someone who is quite prepared to sacrifice everything for a team leader I’m more than happy,’ she said. ‘It would be a huge honour to do that. I’m in great shape and with a couple of weeks more training I think I can keep that going. I cope well in the heat.’

While Storey is at her seventh Paralympics, stretching back to Atlanta 1996 where she won six medals as a swimmer, archer Jessica Stretton won gold on her debut.

She picked up her GCSE results days before flying to Brazil but led a British clean sweep of the medals, with Jo Frith and Vicky Jenkins taking silver and bronze respectively.

‘I felt like I was taking a step for youth who can be in para-sport and showing them that it can be done and it will be done,’ said Stretton. ‘I hope to continue to compete and go to the Tokyo 2020 Games. I love the rush of it, the feeling of satisfaction when you compete well and get medals.’