Dame Sarah Storey says that the chance for both of her children to watch her compete was the motivation to pursue an incredible ninth appearance at the Paralympic Games.
Britain’s greatest Paralympian, now 46 years old, won two road cycling world titles last summer to tee up a run at Paris 2024.
Storey’s youngest child, Charlie, wants to see his mum compete at a Games for the first time – making the choice to carry on and try to add to her incredible haul of 17 Paralympic gold medals, a straightforward one.
“Charlie said after Tokyo, ‘I want to watch you at the Paralympics mum’ and I’m like, ‘oh, okay, here we go again, back on the rollercoaster’” Storey said.
“That was a huge motivation. Obviously I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t think my body and mind were up to it, because there’s a huge amount of work that goes into getting there.”
Storey’s family are very much along from the ride. Husband Barney, a triple Paralympic champion himself as a sighted pilot, co-manages their eponymous Storey Racing trade team and daughter Louisa has spent plenty of time with them at stage races.
“I think the inspiration that children get from being around elite sport is really difficult to explain,” said Storey, one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing her to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support.
“My kids are very aware of race day preparation! They almost have this secret superpower because it’s so rare you get to experience something like that up close. It’s a unique opportunity for them.”
Dame Sarah Storey has a British-record haul of 17 Paralympic gold medals— (AP)
Tom Daley was inspired to come out of retirement by his son, Robbie, and Storey knows exactly how the Team GB legend feels.
“When I read what Tom had said, I could completely get what he was saying,” said Storey. “He’s in the same place as me – if the body is willing, we’ll be there.”
Life is about a lot more than the bike for Storey these days, with her role as Active Travel Commissioner for Greater Manchester taking up a great deal of time.
It means that her approach to training, recovery and everything in between has evolved significantly.
“As an older athlete, working and working out the next step in my life is part of the bigger picture,” she said. “It means I definitely train differently.
“I still have the same intense training camps I’ve always had and they work incredibly well for me - I’ve got a really good base that I go to regularly where the children are very well looked after.
“Some things have changed and some things have stayed the same but I’m very mindful that your body changes with age as well. I’m working closely with people who are going to help me adapt things as necessary over the next few months.
“I’m pushing the boundaries and there aren’t many athletes who are competing over the age of 45 and trying to get back to the top of the podium. I’m kind of pushing on that feeling again, a little bit like I did when I came back from having children in the first place.”
Storey shone to claim three golds at Tokyo 2020— (PA Wire)
Getting that transition right feels crucial to the next stage of Storey’s remarkable career, on and off the bike. She refuses to be drawn when it comes to potential retirement and whether Paris will be her last hurrah.
“I’ll be focused entirely on Paris and the results of Paris will help me make a decision as to what’s next,” she says. “It’s not a decision I could ever make before a race. If you do that, I’d feel I had basically retired ahead of racing and I will always want to be, you know, full gas, right to the finish.”
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