Paris Paralympics 2024: Team GB's Sarah Storey seals 18th gold in women's C5 time trial, calls course design 'appalling'
By Flo Clifford
Published 04/09/2024 at 10:14 GMT+1
Great Britain's Dame Sarah Storey dominated the Paralympic women's C5 time trial in Paris to continue her perfect streak of winning gold in the discipline for five successive Games. But the 18-time gold medallist was unimpressed by the course design, calling it "a real disappointment". The women raced on just a 14.1km-long route, far shorter than the typical length at major championships of 22km.
‘Not sure it will last that long’ - O’Connor trying to ‘enjoy’ red jersey ‘as much as I can’
Video credit: TNT Sports
Great Britain's Sarah Storey produced another dominant performance to seal an 18th Paralympic gold in the women's C5 time trial, but was highly critical of the course she raced on.
Storey, 46, described the route as "appalling" and revealed that athletes had complained to the Paris 2024 organisers about the course length but not received a response.
It was a 13th gold medal in cycling for Storey, who has never won a lesser medal in the sport, and is Britain's most decorated and successful Paralympian of all time.
Afterwards, Storey said, "It's a short race. This is the shortest Paralympic time trial we have ever had, and I think it's a real shame because we don't get to showcase Para-sport in the way we want to.
"You'll have to ask organisers. There's plenty of time in the day for us to do two laps like the men. Having fought so hard for parity in women's cycling, to not have it in Para cycling after what we had in Glasgow [World Championships] last year is a real disappointment."
The Paris course for the women's time trial was just 14.1km long, significantly shorter than the typical 22km athletes race on at major championships.
- Vuelta leader O'Connor says it is 'a lot more enjoyable' racing without Pogacar and Vingegaard
- Van Aert's Vuelta dream shattered as crash ends green and polka dot jersey bid
All other Paralympic Games Storey has competed at have featured a 22km+ course.
The men's C5 event, which takes place on Wednesday, will be twice as long as the women's and raced on two laps of the same course.
Storey continued, "I've had to put that aside and focus on what I could control, because I couldn't control the race distance. But I hope they never do this to the women again, because it has been appalling.
"Look back to that incredible course in Beijing, Brands Hatch with all the fans, Rio was flat but longer, Tokyo we had the motor circuit, three laps, it was a real challenge.
"This has been the most disappointing in that sense, given what came before it."
The Brit continued her perfect streak in the discipline with victory in Paris, having won each edition since she switched from swimming to cycling at Beijing 2008.
Storey beat home favourite Heidi Gaugain by 4.69 seconds, storming to victory despite trailing the Frenchwoman by over seven seconds at the 5.8km checkpoint.
But she more than made up the time to finish in 20 minutes 22.15 seconds in the suburbs of Clichy-sous-Bois, with Australia's Alana Forster rounding off the podium.
The same trio took the podium places at the Glasgow World Championships last year, but with Gaugain and Forster swapping places.
While the course was a disappointment, Storey had few complaints to make about her performance in Paris.
“On top of the world," she said. "I came here to try and get the gold medal for the fifth time, fourth defence and I’ve done it.
"It was the perfectly-paced ride. I was down seven seconds at the first time check, but I knew that was the easiest part of the course going into that first time check because there were quite a few descents and technical sections where you can get free speed, have a recovery and be prepared for that first climb.
"Hit the climb as hard as I’ve done in the 22 laps of training and then over the top just kept pushing.
"It was a carrot knowing that I was down. I can’t say that was the plan, I would like to be ahead all the way, but it was a carrot coming through the final technical section, it was just about making sure I stayed upright and then smashed it up that last climb and into the finish.”
Victory in Paris secured a 29th overall medal for Storey in a career stretching back to the 1992 Barcelona Games, with this edition of the Paralympics being her ninth.
Storey has historically also enjoyed huge success on the track but is only competing in road events in Paris.
She has the chance to double up on gold medals and defend her road race title on Friday.
Stream the 2024 Vuelta a Espana live on discovery+
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement