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Tokyo Paralympics: Dame Sarah Storey strikes gold again to become UK's joint most decorated Paralympian

She has now won 16 gold medals and her success comes on the day British Olympic and Paralympic athletes passed the 1,000-medal mark since Lottery funding was introduced.

Tuesday 31 August 2021 12:20, UK

Dame Sarah Storey could become Great Britain's most decorated Paralympian later this week
Image: Dame Sarah Storey could become Great Britain's most decorated Paralympian later this week
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Dame Sarah Storey is now the joint most successful British Paralympian, having won her 16th gold medal at her eighth Olympiad.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics could be when the 43-year-old cyclist surpasses swimmer Mike Kenny, who took home 16 golds between 1976 and 1988.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning UK time, Dame Sarah clinched her 16th gold by winning the time-trial C5 event beating her compatriot Crystal Lane-Wright who took silver.

Tuesday also saw ParalympicsGB's Ben Watson take home gold in the men's cycling C3 time trial.

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'Each medal has a story' - Sir Chris Hoy

Meanwhile, George Peasgood got a bronze in the C4 event, marking the UK's 1,000th Olympic/Paralympic medal since National Lottery funding began.

Funding from the lottery started in 1997 after Britain won just one gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games, and has been increasing ever since.

Analysis by Enda Brady, news correspondent

On the day that Sarah Storey won her record-equalling 16th Paralympic gold medal, there was an interesting landmark reached by the British contingent at the Tokyo games.

George Peasgood鈥檚 bronze in the C4 time trial was Great Britain鈥檚 1,000th medal since National Lottery funding began in 1997.

But there was a time when Team GB and Paralympics GB were not the 鈥榤edal factories鈥� that they are now.

I remember being at Heathrow airport when Team GB landed back from the Atlanta games in 1996 and there was just one solitary gold medal and it hung around the neck of Steve Redgrave, the legendary rower. A national debate quickly followed about what could be done to get Britain back up the medal table.

The country undoubtedly had talented athletes capable of competing at the Olympics and Paralympics, but other countries were performing far better.

Something needed to be done, and quickly. A decision was made to inject millions of pounds from the National Lottery into the sportsmen and women who could get Britain flying again.

24 years later and Britain sits in second place in the 2021 Paralympics medal table, behind only China. The initials 鈥楪B鈥� are now a fixture at the top of every Games鈥� medal table, proudly so.

鈥淭hat money has provided facilities, coaching, equipment and direct funding,鈥� six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy tells me.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have won a single Olympic medal without that support. It鈥檚 the single most important thing that has changed the fortunes of sport in the UK in the last 25 years, without a doubt.

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing for a country of our size to be competing at that level, it鈥檚 absolutely fantastic.鈥�

Hoy is adamant that the lottery cash has simply transformed what Britain and its athletes can achieve.

鈥淟ook back at the games in Atlanta in 196 and there was one gold medal in the whole team. That was enough of a kick up the backside for us to realise that you have to invest in your athletes and your sport. They have the talent, they just need the opportunity and the platform.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have been able to compete as a full-time athlete, I would have had to get a full-time job. It鈥檚 not a case of 鈥榤oney buys medals鈥�. There are plenty of really well-funded teams out there who don鈥檛 necessarily get the results you would expect.

鈥淢oney is part of the jigsaw, but it鈥檚 about people at the end of the day. We have made the most of the money that we have had. It鈥檚 exciting to look forward to the next thousand medals and where they are going to come from.鈥�

There are plenty of other countries out there now who will be watching the heroics of Britain鈥檚 Paralympians and Olympians and working out how they can solve their own medal drought.

Medals were also awarded to Lora Fachie and pilot Corrine Hall who finished second to take silver in the women's B time trial track cycling event.

Later in the day, swimmer Reece Dunn set a new world record as he took gold in the SM14 200m individual medley.

There has also been a silver for Bethany Firth and bronze medals for Louise Faddes, Stephen Clegg and Hannah Russell in the pool.

Runner Columba Blango won GB's final medal of the day after he was awarded bronze in the men's T20 400m.

He ran a stunning final 100m in order to work his way through the field and secure third place, completing the race with a personal best of 47.81.

Gold Medallist Reece Dunn GBR at the Medal Ceremony of the Men...s 200m Freestyle - S14 Final, Swimming, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Tokyo, Japan, Friday 27 August 2021. Photo: OIS/Thomas Lovelock. Handout image supplied by OIS/IOC
Image: Reece Dunn won gold. Pic: AP

Dame Sarah, who was born without a functioning left hand, will take part in the C4-C5 road race on Thursday - an event she won at both London 2012 and Rio 2016.

She had already triumphed at these Tokyo Games in the individual pursuit.

She first appeared at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympics as a swimmer, when she was just 14, and took home two golds - as well as three silvers and a bronze.

Dame Sarah competed in the pools again at Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, before moving to the bike for Beijing 2008.

Mike Kenny won 16 gold medals between 1976 and 1988
Image: Mike Kenny won 16 gold medals between 1976 and 1988

The serial medal winner has admitted that breaking Mike Kenney's record is a motivator.

Speaking ahead of Tokyo 2020, Dame Sarah said: "To reach that target - it's almost a target I didn't realise I needed - but it's so close now and it's really, really exciting to think this opportunity gives me this chance to take it.

"My biggest motivating factor is really to be the best version of me, to be able to produce my very best performances. But to be able to come out of it with some additional success is obviously hugely motivating.

"I know I will have done absolutely everything to the nth degree and rehearsed and rehearsed to make sure I produce the very best performance that I can, so hopefully the outcome can take care of itself."

Dame Sarah won gold number 16 in the early hours of Tuesday UK time
Image: Dame Sarah won gold number 16 in the early hours of Tuesday UK time

If you include all her medals at the Paralympics, Dame Sarah has 27 in total.

The pandemic hampered her training, and between January 2020 and June 2021, she did not compete.

But the veteran athlete was successful at the world championships in Portugal earlier this year in the time trial and the C5 road race.

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She said: "I think the world champs gave me a huge amount of confidence.

"To come out on top and for everything to be probably ahead of where I expected it to be, if I'm honest, was really exciting.

"There's an element of, 'Well, I haven't raced on the track, how's that going to feel?' but I've always been a huge training animal, right back to my days in the pool."

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