Meet Britain's Most Successful Paralympian: Dame Sarah Joanne Storey

For many who didn't know, the Olympics (Summer Games) and Paralympics are held side by side with not much of a gap between the dates of these two major sporting events. While the Paralympics is held for disabled athletes, the events and sports are equally and even more challenging. One such case is of Dame Sarah Storey of Great Britain. 

The Superwoman of the Great Britain Paralympic Team

With a startling career and a gripping personality, Dame Sarah Storey is renowned for her Paralympic journey and exquisite medal collection. She performed in 8 games and won 28 medals, 17 of which were gold. This year, August 2024, would mark Storey's 9th Paralympic game and as we hope, a few more medals. She started her career in the 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games as a swimmer where she clenched two gold, three silver and one bronze medal. 

In the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, she changed her sporting category from swimming to track and road cycling which earned her another 12 gold medals. Storey won her historic 17th gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (held in 2021) in the C4-5 road race which made her Great Britain's most venerated athlete. 

The Great Britain cycling team met with its most awarded Games in Tokyo 2020, where every rider earned a medal, 24 medals were bagged in total. This year, the Paralympic Games 2024 will begin on August 28th in Paris, France and will commemorate Sarah Storey's ninth game.

Recently in an interview with BBC Sport, about the upcoming games and Great Britain team selection, Storey said, "I'm thrilled to have the chance to put on the ParalympicsGB (Great Britain) kit again. It is a pinch-me moment and is a dream I didn’t know I had as a kid. It has been a huge motivation since the lockdown Games in Tokyo to get to Paris and to be able to have all those spectators there. It feels like a home game again. For me, it is all about trying to defend my two road titles from Tokyo." 

What sets her apart from many athletes is not just her countless medals but her impeccable performances, versatility and resilience. She grew up in Manchester and during her birth, her left hand became entangled in the umbilical cord which stunted the growth of her left hand leading to her disability. She began swimming at the young age of ten after much bullying and shame which led her to re-focus her energy on to something more gratifying. Her debut in the 1992 Paralympics Games was at the age of 14 which as mentioned earlier won her 6 medals in swimming.

It is also recorded that Storey bagged 5 gold medals before completing her teenage years at 19 which further boosted her Paralympic journey. It is a much-known fact that Storey often participates in track and cycling events against non-disabled athletes.

In the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, Storey qualified to join the England team and became the first disabled cyclist to compete in the Commonwealth Games for England against non-disabled cyclists. Along with being conferred with many titles and awards, like the Member of the Order of the British Empire and Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Storey has advocated for people with disability and proven that there is no obstacle greater than oneself.