Uncatchable! How Paralympics poster girl Sarah Storey became one of the greats

By LOUISE ECCLES and DAVID WILLIAMS

Sarah Storey celebrates after winning gold in the women's individual C5 pursuit cycling

London 2012 poster girl Sarah Storey took Britain's first gold medal in the Velodrome yesterday, kick-starting the home team's Paralympic medal rush.
Such was the superiority of the 34-year-old that she actually caught and overtook her opponent, Anna Harkowska of Poland, despite starting on the other side of the track to her.
Although the Women's Individual C5 Pursuit should have been over 12, 250metre laps – 3,000metres in total – Storey caught the Pole on just the seventh, instantly ending the race.

Victory: Sarah Storey stands on the top step on the podium with her medal, before posing with the gold

Her heat time yesterday – three minutes and 32.170 seconds – was quicker than Olympic medallist Joanna Rowsell's Track World Cup win on the same track in February.
Even more remarkably, Storey only narrowly missed out on an Olympic place in the team pursuit squad, where Laura Trott, Dani King and Jo Rowsell romped to gold in world-record times.
Yesterday's triumph makes her one of Britain's greatest-ever paralympians, giving her 19 Paralympic medals in total – including eight golds across six Games – in two different sports.

The crowd went wild when they realised that Storey was on her way to win gold

Her first five gold, eight silver and three bronze medals were won at swimming before she switched to cycling after picking up a severe ear infection in the pool.
She then won two more golds four years ago at Beijing.
And with three more cycling events to come over the next week, Storey is on track to take her tally to 11 golds – equalling the women's record collected by Baroness Grey-Thompson.

Poster girl cyclist Sarah Storey won gold in the C5 individual pursuit

A total of 22 medals by the end of next week would also replicate the record Olympic haul of US swimmer Michael Phelps.
She said yesterday: 'It is fantastic, a great feeling. I didn't expect to be able to catch her as quickly. I suppose it did look easy but mentally you have to prepare and make it happen. I have to respect all my competitors.'
Asked what she was thinking as she chased down her opponent, Storey – who was born without a left hand – said: 'Just, “gotta get there quick, quick, quick!”

Starting early: Sarah Storey on her bike as a child

Mr Bailey, a retired engineer, said: 'It was marvellous. She knocked the spots off them.
'If you are going to win then that is the way to do it – job done. And I suppose it meant she could save her energy for her other races.'
Storey's husband Barney, who broke off from his own training as a tandem partner to a blind cyclist, said: 'It was amazing. I was nervous but she was brilliant.'


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were at the Velodrome to lend their support to Storey

Miss Storey, who first competed as a paralympian as a 14 year-old in Barcelona in 1992, said: 'In the womb my arm was caught in the umbilical cord and didn't develop as it should have.
'My left arm ends at the heel of my palm. But it did not stop me playing sport as a child. I carried on as normal.
'I've never been treated differently and that's a major part in my life. I've just got on with it.'

source: dailymail