Unstoppable Storey rides clear for 14th career Paralympic title
BySportsbeat
Updated 17/09/2016 at 20:28 GMT
Dame Sarah Storey powered to her third Paralympic gold in Rio, taking her career tally to 14 - just two less than swimmer Mike Kenny, the most successful British Paralympian of all time.
Dame Sarah Storey celebrates winning the road race in Rio
Image credit: AFP
Storey, 38, proved unstoppable during the 72km C4/5 road race, riding safely in the pack before striking out alone to cross the line in two hours, 15 minutes and 42 seconds.
The early pace along the picturesque beachfront course was pretty pedestrian - Storey later likened it to a 'coffee ride' - and she hit the front at the first sign of a steep climb and never looked back.
In the end she finished three and a half minutes ahead of her nearest rival, Poland's Anna Harkowska, while ParalympicsGB team-mate Crystal Lane came through to take bronze.
Storey, who is now hoping to earn selection for next month's UCI Road Race World Championships, said: "It's great to win another gold, they are all really special and I'm just really proud and chuffed with how these Games have turned out.
"I just stayed patient, stayed out of trouble and waited for my time because I knew I had more power than anyone else.
"We were averaging about 32kmph for the first 45km and everyone seemed happy to sit behind me, which was pretty frustrating.
"Once I hit the front on the first climb I knew that I had it. I was time-trialling and just making sure I kept my power higher than the chase could manage."
Meanwhile, teenager Jessica Stretton admitted her pride after a leading a famous 1-2-3 podium sweep for Great Britain in the women's archery.
World bronze medallist Stretton, just 16, claimed women's W1 archery gold, edging past team-mate Vicky Jenkins in the semi-final before beating Jo Frith 137-124 in the gold medal match.
Jenkins - who had spent the previous three days in hospital - also won her bronze medal match with Korea's Kim Ok-Geum on the final arrow, winning 125-124.
Stretton said: "It feels just amazing. We've had a podium like this at the Europeans and it's just the most amazing feeling ever to do it at the Paralympics.
"I hope to continue to compete and hopefully go to the Tokyo 2020 Games. I just love the rush of it, the feeling of satisfaction when you compete well and get medals."
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