Neverending Storey
‘I’ve been here a few times recently for shoots with the likes of Hello and Harper’s Bazaar. Sir Geoff Boycott has his own parking space over there, and we filmed the “mystery guest” segment ofA Question Of Sport here once. I was dressed as a dame. I’ll be on it again soon.’
Dame Sarah Storey’s moment of fame has stretched out to 29 years from the time she won her first Paralympic gold medal. But as Storey tells us within the shadows of the grade-II listed Mottram Hall in the salubrious idyll of Cheshire, now is the time to capitalise on her record-breaking 17th Paralympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020/2021. ‘The spotlight shines on Paralympics for such a short time. This time I’m going to make the most of it.’
In Japan last summer, the 44-year-old (then 43) closed in on, equalled and then surpassed para-swimmer Mike Kenny’s British record 16 Paralympic gold medals by winning the individual pursuit title in the Izu Velodrome before claiming time-trial and road race gold medals on the sodden Fuji Speedway Circuit. That made it 12 para-cycling golds and five para-swimming golds since the Eccles-born athlete’s first Paralympic title at Barcelona 1992. That’s 28 Paralympic medals in all. Collectively they weigh more than the Boardman SLR 9.6 Disc that she has propped up against the wall.
It’s an incredible achievement, albeit
