Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Dame Sarah Storey wins 16th gold medal to equal all-time British record

ByTom Bennett

Published 31/08/2021 at 07:42 GMT

"I never set out on this journey to be Britain's greatest Paralympian but to match the best man and to have more other medals is just a dream come true," Dame Sarah Storey said after winning the 27th Paralympic medal and 16th gold of her remarkable career. Storey could break the British record on Thursday.

Dame Sarah Storey became the joint most successful British Paralympian of all time after winning the 16th gold medal of her extraordinary career at the Tokyo Games.

The 43-year-old’s victory in the C5 time trial drew her level with swimmer Mike Kenny on 16 gold medals.

And Storey could surpass that tally in Thursday’s cycling road race, where she is among the favourites to take gold, having won the event at both London and Rio.

Paralympics

Russia, Belarus to compete at Paralympics under neutral flag

02/03/2022 at 15:04

"I never set out on this journey to be Britain's greatest Paralympian but to match the best man and to have more other medals is just a dream come true," Storey said after her astonishing feat.

"I am just so chuffed. I have been preparing for this for such a long time. There have been so many parts to it, both my bike and physical preparations."

Great Britain's Dame Sarah Storey

Image credit: Getty Images

Storey, who is competed in her eighth Paralympic Games, began her career as a swimmer at the Barcelona Games in 1992, aged just 14, competing again the pool at Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, winning five golds as a swimmer.

But the Dame, who was born without a functioning left hand, switched to cycling for Beijing 2008 and has been even more dominant on two wheels than she was in the pool.

And Storey was comfortably the most impressive performer in the cycling time trail on the streets of Tokyo, taking the title by over a minute-and-a-half, finishing with a time of 36 minutes 8.90 seconds.

Great Britain's Dame Sarah Storey

Image credit: Getty Images

"It is amazing. I was one of the most perfect days today, the conditions were perfect," Storey said after her win.

"The course is super quick. The corners were really grippy and I rode a really good line and carried speed.

"I got caught up in a bit of traffic at times perhaps as I was going a bit quicker than they had anticipated."

Fellow Brit Crystal Lane-Wright took silver ahead of Germany’s Kerstin Brachtendorf.

Storey’s time trial win took her Paralympic medal tally up to 27, with eight silvers and three bronze medals alongside her 16 golds.

Most successful British Paralympians

• Dame Sarah Storey – 16 gold medals
• Mike Kenny – 16 gold medals
• Lee Pearson – 14 gold medals
• Tanni Grey-Thompson – 11 gold medals
• David Roberts – 11 gold medals

Paralympics

'We are sick of being second best' - Weir demands authorities do more for para-sport

06/09/2021 at 22:57

Paralympics

ParalympicsGB finsh second in Tokyo medal table

05/09/2021 at 09:01

Paralympics

Golds for Miller, Broom-Edwards, Wiggs as GB pass 100 medals

03/09/2021 at 15:20