Interview with Dame Sarah Storey ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

28 August 2024

We sat down with Dame Sarah Storey ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

This is going to be your ninth Paralympic Games, how does that feel?
Paralympic year is always an incredibly exciting year and to think that this is the ninth time I've come back is a pinch me moment really. I never imagined it. When Louisa [Sarah’s daughter] arrived nine months after the Games in London, everyone assumed that would be it for me. So, to continue on and hopefully be there on the start line for the third one since she arrived is just marvellous.  

What does Paralympics preparation look like for you? Is it the same intensity every year or are you able to take it a bit easier given how experienced you are? 
Preparation is very specific. I was a swimmer in my first Games and I was training by myself in the school holidays. Back in 1992, at those first Games, the swimming club used to shut down after the National Age Group Championships in August which meant I had to train by myself in an outside lane of a public pool – just me motivating myself. Which is very similar to now really, I go out on the roads by myself. Rather than having a coach that structures my training, I have a support network around me. But back then I had someone who set my structure for me.  

And how are you feeling going into Paris? 
The intensity varies from week to week. I tend to do a block of three to four weeks and then have an easier week. In the final months before the Games, there’s some training camps where I put the final bit of endurance work in. There's a middle block where there’s more racing and then the final weeks before the Games, it’s just making sure I've got every centimetre of the course in my brain. I’m prepared for every eventuality of the weather. 

Are you feeling confident? 
I feel as good as I've ever felt. I had a nasty crash in the summer of 2022, concussion, broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung. I didn't recover from that until early 2023. I went through the World Championships and got back into fitness – I had COVID, a chest infection, tonsilitis, and my body was wrecked. I spent 2023 building up again. When I won two world titles at the World Champs in Scotland, it was a huge moment and meant I'd set myself up well for 2024.  

This is the first Paralympics on European soil since London. What difference will that make for you, and the team as a whole? 
We’ve all talked about Paris being as close to home as we’re going to get. Obviously, there are rumours that the Games will be back in London in 2040, but right now, Paris is across the water and it’s as close as it can possibly get. So many people are talking about the fact they already have tickets or are coming to support on the roadside. My family will be out there, cheering and cheerleading with their flags.  

You are the most decorated British Paralympian. Does holding a record like that make you want to win even more medals to make it harder for anyone else to match your record or are you open to competition? 
When you start out as an athlete, you never imagine you’re going to hold such a title. You can’t control other people’s performances and you want your team mates to do well. So when I surpassed Tanni Grey-Thompson's record in Rio to get my twelfth gold medal, everyone was then saying ‘will you meet Mike Kenny’s target when you get to Tokyo?’. I matched it to start with, but then it started to all go wrong. There are lots of people who are planning their own assault for gold medals this summer, so who knows if I'll still be in this position when I come out of Paris.

What do the Paralympics mean to you? 
The Paralympics is the pinnacle of competition for athletes with disabilities and impairments. Athletes who have worked so incredibly hard. You go through World Championships, but everyone wants to try and get onto the podium at the Paralympic Games. Every four years, the eyes of the world turn to the city you’re competing in. History is made and it’s such a thrill to be there alongside athletes from other sports.  

And how have the Games evolved since you first took part? 
Since I first took part, the Games have got so much bigger. Both in terms of the attention paid to them and the number of people competing, but also in terms of the level of competition.
It has always been hard, but now it’s harder in terms of classification. There are more people and nations coming, and more and more athletes are competing alongside their colleagues. It’s incredibly tough. It always has been, but it’s just got tougher.  

What impact do you think that Channel 4 has had on the Paralympic Games? 
When Channel 4 came in as the rights holder to broadcast in 2012, it completely changed the whole landscape of the publicity for the Games and the way that people watch them. We had an hour of TV coverage of Barcelona ‘92 about once every four days. That went to an hour a day of highlights in Atlanta and then in Sydney we got the digital age where you could press the red button and see different sports. Beijing a little more coverage. But suddenly there was an explosion of coverage and opportunity to watch sport every day, all day. It has been amazing to see it grow and push forward through Rio and Tokyo. Next is to try and get that for World Championship and beyond, so there is something for everyone to see every year. 

We can’t forget you’re going to be in Paris! Have you been before? What’s your favourite thing to do?  
I went to Paris a few times when I was a child.
It used to be a stop off on the way to a campsite down south. I went out in half-term this year and I’ve been looking at the courses for the Games. We were also in Paris for the World Championships in 2022. My favourite thing to do is ride my bike and focus on what I'm facing. When I'm not competing, it’s time to see the sights and kick back with a glass of wine and a pain au chocolat.  

There probably won’t be any time for downtime, but if you manage to sneak any, what do you think you’ll get up to? Anything to tick off the bucket list?  
It would be to revisit the Eiffel Tower. I did go as a child and the lift was out of order, so my poor mum had to carry my brother as well as the buggy and had to make sure myself and my sister didn't run off too far up the steps. By the time she got to the top, my sister and I had been up there for 15 minutes and were ready to come down! So I'd like to do it again.