Sarah Storey holding the union flag aloft in the Tokyo velodrome after winning track cycling gold

Sarah Storey

Athlete Information

  • Region

    Manchester

  • Date of Birth

    26/10/1977

  • Classification

    C5

Athlete main content

Bio

ParalympicsGB’s most successful Paralympian of all time extended her medal tally to 30 as she dominated on the road, winning the C5 road cycling time trial as well as the C4-5 road race.

Dame Sarah Storey’s nineteen Paralympic gold medals make her the most successful British Paralympian of all time eclipsing the previous record of 16 held by swimmer Mike Kenny. She has won an incredible 30 Paralympic medals at eight games.

Sarah won three gold medals at Tokyo 2020 to achieve the record breaking milestone winning the Women’s pursuit C5, Women’s road race C4-C5 and the Women’s road time trial C5.

Sarah began her Paralympic career as a swimmer, competing in four games: Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, picking up a combined total of five gold, eight silver and three bronze medals.

Following Athens, Sarah decided to make the switch to para-cycling and has enjoyed incredible success as she not only dominated para-cycling events but has also enjoyed significant success in non-disabled events.

After picking up two silver medals at her first Road World Championships in 2006, Sarah never looked back and won two gold medals at Beijing 2008, winning the C5 individual pursuit on the track and the C5 time-trial on the road.

Between Beijing and London Sarah truly established herself as the best para-cyclist in the world winning an astonishing 12 world titles across the road and the track.

At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Sarah excelled in both track and road events, winning four gold medals.

She won ParalympicsGB’s first gold medal at London 2012 with victory in the C5

After London, Sarah missed the 2013 season and gave birth to her first daughter, Louisa. She returned to international competition in 2014 and added 12 World Championship medals to her collection in the run-up to Rio 2016.

Not surprisingly, given her record at major events, she maintained that form at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games where her three gold medals made her the most successful British female Paralympian of all time

Sarah caught team mate Crystal Lane in the final of the C5 individual pursuit to win a record 12th career gold medal and would win a 13th when she took the road time trial gold a week later.

Finally, on the last day of 2016 Paralympic cycling competition, Sarah won her 14th career Paralympic gold with a dominant performance in the C4-5 road race, crossing the line nearly three and a half minutes ahead of her closest rival.

Storey had time away from the bike following Rio - with her family expanding with the birth of her son Charlie in October 2017.

There was a sensational return at 2018 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Maniago, Italy as Sarah completed the time trial and road race double - taking world titles in both events for the sixth time in her career, and reaching an astonishing 31 world titles in cycling and swimming.

2019 was just as successful with Sarah winning 4 gold medals and 1 silver medal at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in the Netherlands. 2020 saw the same success with 3 gold medals in Canada at UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships.

Major Results

Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

  • C4-C5 Road Race: Gold
  • C5 Road Time Trial: Gold

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

  • C5 Individual Pursuit: Gold
  • C4-C5 Road Race: Gold
  • C5 Road Time Trial: Gold

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

  • C5 Individual Pursuit: Gold
  • C4-C5Time Trial: Gold
  • C5 Road Race: Gold

London 2012 Paralympic Games

  • C5 Individual Pursuit: Gold
  • C4-5 500m Time Trial: Gold
  • C4-5 Road Race: Gold
  • C5 individual time trial (road): Gold

Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games

  • LC1-2/CP4 individual pursuit: Gold
  • LC1/LC2/CP4 time trial: Gold

Athens 2004 Paralympic Games (Swimming)

  • 100m freestyle S10: Bronze
  • 100m breaststroke SB9: Silver
  • 200m individual medley SM10: Silver

Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games (Swimming)

  • 100m backstroke S10: Silver
  • 4x100m medley relay SM10: Silver

Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games (Swimming)

  • 200m individual medley SM10: Gold
  • 100m breaststroke SB10: Gold
  • 100m backstroke S10: Gold
  • 400m freestyle S10: Silver
  • 100m freestyle S10: Bronze

Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games (Swimming)

  • 100m backstroke S10: Gold
  • 200m individual medley SM10: Gold
  • 400m freestyle S10: Silver
  • 4x100m freestyle relay S7-10: Silver
  • 100m freestyle S10: Bronze
  • 4x100m medley relay S7-10: Silver

2018 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Maniago (Italy)

  • Time trial: Gold
  • Road Race: Gold

2016 UCI Para cycling Track World Championships, Montichiari, Italy

  • Individual Pursuit: Gold
  • 500m time trial: Silver
  • Scratch race: Silver

2015 UCI Para cycling Track World Championships, Apeldoorn, Netherlands

  • 500m time trial: Gold
  • Individual Pursuit: Gold

2015 UCI Para cycling Road World Championships, Nottwil, Switzerland

  • Time trial: Gold
  • Road Race: Gold

2014 UCI Para cycling Road World Championships, Greenville, USA

  • Time trial: Gold
  • Road race: Gold

2014 UCI Para cycling Track World Championships, Aguascalientes, Mexico

  • Individual pursuit: Gold
  • Scratch race: Gold
  • 500m Time Trial: Bronze

2012 UCI Para cycling Track World Championships, Los Angeles, USA

  • 500m Time trial: Gold
  • Individual pursuit: Gold
  • Team Sprint: Silver

2011 UCI Para cycling Road World Championships, Roskilde, Denmark

  • Time Trial: Gold
  • Road Race: Gold

2011 UCI Para cycling Track World Championships, Montichiari, Italy

  • Individual Pursuit: Gold
  • 500m Time Trial: Gold

2010 UCI Para cycling Road World Championships, Baie-Comeau, Canada

  • Road race: Gold
  • Time trial: Gold

2009 UCI Para cycling Track World Championships, Manchester, UK

  • Individual Pursuit: Gold
  • Time Trial: Gold

2009 UCI Para cycling Road World Championships, Bogogno, Italy

  • Road Race: Gold
  • Time trial: Gold

2007 UCI Para cycling Track World Championships, Bordeaux, France

  • Individual Pursuit: Gold
  • 500m Time Trial: Bronze

2006 UCI Para cycling Road World Championships, Aigle, Switzerland

  • Road Race: Silver
  • Time Trial: Silver

2005 Para cycling European Championships, Alkmaar, Denmark

  • Individual Pursuit: Gold
  • 500m Time Trial: Gold
  • Road Race: Gold
  • Time Trial: Silver

2002 IPC World Swimming Championships, Mar del Plata, Argentina

  • S10 50m Freestyle: Bronze
  • S10 400m Freestyle: Gold
  • SM10 Individual Medley: Gold
  • S10 100m Freestyle: Gold

1998 IPC World Swimming Championships, Christchurch, New Zealand

  • 4x100m Freestyle: Bronze
  • S10 400m Freestyle: Bronze
  • SM10 200m Individual Medley: Bronze
  • 4x100m Medley: Silver
  • S10 100m Backstroke: Silver

1994 IPC World Swimming Championships, Malta

  • S10 400m Freestyle relay: Gold
  • SM10 200m Individual medley: Silver
  • S10 100m Backstroke: Silver
  • 4x100m Freestyle relay: Gold

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