London, July 11:
Paralympics great Sarah Storey retired from competitive racing on Thursday at age 48 instead of training for a 10th Games in Los Angeles in 2028.The 19-time Paralympics gold medalist won her first titles for Britain in swimming at Barcelona in 1992, and completed her fourth straight sweep of cycling’s road race and time trial at Paris in 2024.
Storey told British broadcaster BBC she now wants to help improve the quality and visibility of Para-sport.“The years between each Games haven’t been utilised well enough to create the momentum that I and others hoped to see,” she said.
“I see this as a critical stage. There are many areas of Para-sport that still need attention, and that is something that has played a big part in my decision.” Storey competed at each Paralympics in swimming from Barcelona through Athens in 2004, winning 16 medals including five gold.
She switched to cycling after an ear infection stopped her swimming for months.She won 14 gold medals as the dominant women’s cyclist from the 2008 Beijing Paralympics through Paris.Storey was born with a disabled left hand because her arm got entangled with the umbilical cord in the womb.