'I want my children to remember me competing in a Paralympics' - Storey

The chance of different “normal” Paralympics pinch fans, positive having her children watching again, was a awesome facet successful Sarah Storey returning for a singular ninth Games.

Storey is nan astir successful and dressed up British Paralympian of each time, pinch 28 medals including 17 golds successful swimming and cycling. No progressive Paralympian successful immoderate athletics has won more.

After first competing astatine nan Barcelona Paralympics successful 1992, nan 46-year-old is connected nan hunt for 2 much golds successful roadworthy cycling astatine Paris 2024 – she presently has 12 connected 2 wheels.

And while nan build-up to these Games has been trickier than most, Storey has been pushed connected by respective factors – including nan desire to not person her last Games played retired successful beforehand of zero spectators.

The past Paralympics, successful Tokyo, took spot amid stringent restrictions because of nan Covid-19 pandemic. After a vibrant Paris Olympics astatine which fans were capable to return, she is looking guardant to a akin ambiance astatine nan Paralympics.

Among nan spectators will beryllium her children, 10-year-old Louisa and six-year-old Charlie – and Storey says she has been spurred connected by competing successful a Games which she hopes some will retrieve erstwhile they are older.

"When we made nan determination aft Tokyo that I would transportation on, location was nary guarantee that we would not still beryllium successful immoderate shape of lockdown,” she told BBC Breakfast's Joe Lynskey.

“But nan chance to person a normal Games pinch supporters, fans, children connected nan roadside, nan chance to acquisition that atmosphere, was excessively bully to move down.

“Charlie has ne'er knowledgeable a Games - hopefully he and Louisa will retrieve this."

The only personification to triumph 5 Paralympic golden medals arsenic a teenager, Storey has faced countless challenges successful her profession – but moreover for her, this Paralympic rhythm has been tough.

Issues pinch sponsorships and backing successful nan ray of Covid were compounded by a superior clang successful 2022, successful which she suffered surgery ribs, a partially punctured lung and a concussion.

It caused Storey to miss nan 2022 World Championships, and near her unsure whether she would beryllium capable to attain nan elite levels she expects successful clip for Paris.

However, a surge successful shape successful 2024 has seen nan aged assurance return arsenic she prepares to beryllium nan first British jock to compete astatine 9 Paralympic Games.

“The betterment was a batch longer than I anticipated, it wasn't until nan opening of this twelvemonth that I started to spot improvements successful power,” she said.

“Then I was seeing my highest ever powerfulness connected nan road, which astatine nan property of 46 is nary mean feat. Nearly 2 years later, my assemblage has yet started to retrieve aft having specified a horrendous clip astatine nan extremity of 2022 - location was 1 constituent wherever I wondered if property had caught up pinch me, aliases whether I was unlucky that each this was happening astatine nan aforesaid time."

Storey’s singular longevity tin beryllium put down to a rigorous and personalised training regime, arsenic good arsenic meticulous attraction to detail.

BBC newsman Sally Hurst has seen that rigour first hand, some arsenic a Para-cyclist for Great Britain – wherever she was selected successful nan aforesaid squad arsenic Storey astatine respective competitions – past successful her second publicity career.

“She has her ain measurement of doing things,” Hurst told BBC Sport. “Everything has to beryllium perfect; she looks astatine her ain motorcycle set-up, while cyclists for illustration maine mightiness conscionable trust connected nan mechanics. She will cheque perfectly everything.

“I went retired pinch her erstwhile for an interview, we were conscionable having a potter astir connected our bikes. There was a small spot of muck connected her tyres; she sewage off, had a bully look astatine it, sewage a passerby pinch a baby, took a babe swipe and wiped disconnected nan tyre. And that was conscionable for a small thrust down nan street.”

Storey is making immoderate concessions to competing astatine a Paralympics successful her mid-40s, against immoderate rivals who were not moreover calved erstwhile she was first winning golden medals.

She will not beryllium featuring successful immoderate way cycling events astatine nan 2024 Games, alternatively pouring each her attraction into winning golden connected nan streets of Paris successful 2 events – nan roadworthy title and clip trial.

“On nan way you tin show successful beforehand much easy who is going to triumph – you cognize your time, you cognize what your competitors are doing, it is simply a controlled environment, you tin show nan contenders,” said Hurst. “In nan roadworthy title and clip trial, they are overmuch much tactical, location are galore much variables.

“She knows she tin beryllium competitory successful a roadworthy title because she has these years of experience; she knows erstwhile she needs to put nan hammer down.”

Storey is nan defending champion successful nan roadworthy race, earning her 17th Paralympic golden successful nan women’s individual roadworthy title C4–5 successful Tokyo. In nan clip proceedings she is moreover much dominant, winning golden successful that subject astatine each Games since switching from swimming to cycling for Beijing 2008.

Winning some and taking her individual tally to 19 golden medals would make Storey nan fourth-most successful Paralympian ever successful position of golds – only swimmers Trischa Zorn and Beatrice Hess and wintertime Paralympian Ragnhild Myklebust would person more.

Storey says she is not reasoning astir opinionated atop nan Paralympic podium again conscionable yet.

“The point astir roadworthy cycling is you are defending a title, but connected a wholly different people and environment," she said. "There are nary guarantees astir nan upwind either, you person to beryllium prepared for each eventuality. So it is astir getting to nan commencement statement successful nan champion style and taking it from there."

Storey will beryllium 50 by nan 2028 Paralympics successful Los Angeles, but says she has not thought that acold up amid a packed calendar.

The 2024 Road World Championships return spot successful Zurich betwixt 21 and 29 September, starting little than 2 weeks aft nan Paralympics reason – and Storey is focused connected 4 title wins alternatively than immoderate imaginable retirement.

"I've ne'er gone into immoderate Games reasoning it is my past one, I americium focusing connected what is needed and nan decisions travel later,” she said.

“So it's astir having nary distractions for nan 4 races, past putting my feet up and making immoderate decisions."

Hurst added: “As soon arsenic she thinks she can’t triumph immoderate more, that’s erstwhile she steps aside. But she doesn’t spell retired to compete, she goes retired to win.”

Storey has made immoderate profession moves extracurricular of cycling – she is simply a visiting professor astatine Manchester Metropolitan University, and earlier this twelvemonth was named president of cricket nine Lancashire.

But her superior passion remains Paralympic sport, and while she acknowledges location person been important improvements successful backing and sum since her first Games 32 years ago, she feels location is simply a agelong measurement to go.

“Prize money has not made its measurement into Para-sport astatine immoderate level, location are areas to improve,” she said.

“The sum astatine Games clip is unrecognisable though – wall-to-wall coverage, successful Barcelona it was 1 hr each fewer days.

“But we cannot remainder connected our laurels. Have we moved connected since London 2012? I deliberation we will find retired successful Paris.”