Storey surprises herself as she laps up another golden display
SARAH STOREY began her quest to become Great Britain’s most successful Paralympian by smashing her own world record en route to retaining C5 3,000metres individual pursuit gold.
In a repeat of the all-British Rio 2016 final, Storey once more got the better of compatriot Crystal Lane-Wright.
The relentless defending champion laid down a marker earlier on day one of Tokyo 2020 by shaving more than four seconds off her own world record in qualifying, powering over the line in three minutes, 27.057 seconds.
She did not need to repeat the trick in the deciding race at the Izu Velodrome as she caught Lane-Wright inside eight laps following a rapid start, leaving her rival to settle for another silver. In winning her country’s first gold of the Games, Storey took her total haul to 15 Paralympic golds – one short of swimmer Mike Kenny’s British record – and a phenomenal 26 medals overall in cycling and swimming.
‘For me as an individual, I’ve won a medal at every single Games I’ve been to and this is my fourth time winning the individual pursuit in a row,’ she said.
‘I broke the world record in Beijing, in London, in Rio, this morning, so for me it’s been quite overwhelming to try and keep backing that up and keep pushing to go faster and faster.
‘I never expected to go as quick as I did this morning but I’m so glad that I did.’