Storey’s 15th Paralympic title and Britain’s first gold of Tokyo 2020 Sarah Storey was the other big moment of the day, clinching her third consecutive C5 3000m individual pursuit title to bring her total Paralympic medal haul to 15 golds.
She beat out her compatriot Crystal Lane-Wright in a all-British final. “It’s quite overwhelming. I don’t know if it will sink in until I get home. I came here with a really solid plan of what I wanted to do and I’ve delivered it, so it kind of blows your mind a bit,” Storey said.
Storey’s win also broke the world record with three minutes 27.057 seconds, saying: “I knew I had it in me to go sub 3.30 (three minutes and 30 seconds).
more – wethe15
It’s been a target of mine since I went 3.32 in London (2012 Paralympic Games). I knew I just needed the right day and the right preparation. And it’s been an incredibly difficult preparation (for Tokyo) because it’s so different to what I’m used to. I just had to call on all my experience for staying calm under the pressure.”
Britain’s most successful Paralympian, Storey now has five Paralympic gold medals Para track cycling – more than any other female track cyclist. The 43-year-old Briton also has five gold medals in each of road cycling and swimming to her name. In total she has a phenomenal 26 medals overall.
Gold Medallist Sarah Storey GBR, Silver Medallist Crystal Lane-Wright GBR, Bronze Medallist Marie Patouillet FRA during the Medal Ceremony for the Track Cycling Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit at the Izu Velodrome, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Tokyo, Japan.