Dame Sarah Storey says short women’s time trial ‘appalling’ after winning gold

Dame Sarah Storey criticised the “appalling” decision to have the women’s C5 time trial half the distance of the men’s event after winning the 18th Paralympic gold of her career at Paris 2024.

Britain’s most successful Paralympian overcame a 7.18 seconds deficit at the only mid-race checkpoint to stretch her record-breaking exploits in the eastern suburbs of the French capital.

While the 46-year-old was delighted with her latest triumph, she bemoaned a missed opportunity for disability sport and raised the issue of gender inequality after completing a course of just 14.1 kilometres in 20 minutes and 22.15 seconds.

Storey said riders had appealed to organisers about the race length before the Games but not received a response.

The men’s C5 event, in which Britain’s Blaine Hunt finished 11th, was double the distance, comprising two laps of the same course.

“This is the shortest Paralympic time trial we’ve ever had,” said Storey, who was 4.69 secs quicker than France’s Heidi Gaugain.

“And I think it’s a real shame because you don’t get to showcase Para sport in the way that you want to. So I hope this is the only time it’s less than 20k.

“You have to ask the organisers (why it was so short).

“But there’s plenty of time in the day for us to do two laps like the men. And 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.

“I’ve had to put that disappointment aside and just concentrate on what I can control because I couldn’t control the race distance.

“But I really hope that they never do this to the women again because I think it’s been appalling.”

The PA news agency understands organisers opted to hold some time trials over the shorter distance due to there being 19 races on Wednesday’s busy schedule, in addition to medal ceremonies.

Storey wrote her name in the history books at Tokyo 2020 by claiming a trio of titles to move ahead of former swimmer Mike Kenny in the all-time list of GB athletes.

The time trial in Japan was held over a distance of 24km. Storey won that event by a far more commanding margin of one minute and 31.9 secs and expects to race a minimum of 22km at championships.

At the ninth Games of a remarkable career which started in the swimming pool at Barcelona in 1992, she further cemented her legacy as husband Barney and children Louisa and Charlie watched on.

Silver medallist Gaugain led at the 5.8km mark in Clichy-sous-bois before being overhauled, while Australian rider Alana Forster finished third.

Storey’s victory maintains her 100 per cent Games record on the bike, which began at Beijing in 2008 and now spans 13 races, to take her overall Paralympic medal tally to 29, including 16 in the pool.

“(I’m) on top of the world,” she said.” I came here to try and get the gold medal (in this event) 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.

“It was a carrot knowing that I was down. You’ve just got to empty the tank to the finish.”

British rider Fran Brown backed up Storey’s triumph by taking silver in the women’s C1-3 time trial, in a time of 21 minutes 46.18 secs.

“I would have liked a bit of a longer course as well, we are capable of riding a bit further, but we all did the same course on the day so make the most of it,” said Brown.

Ireland’s Katie-George Dunlevy later won a third successive gold in the women’s B time trial, ahead of British pair Sophie Unwin and Lora Fachie.

Dunlevy and her tandem pilot Linda Kelly were one minute and 23.6 secs faster than silver medallists Unwin and Jenny Holl in a winning time of 38 mins and 16.58 secs, while Fachie celebrated bronze on her 36th birthday alongside Corrine Hall.