Sarah Storey's life and career including age, husband, children and how many Paralympics medals she's won

The champion cyclist won her first medal of the Paris games in the C5 time trial on Wednesday. She completed the race in 20 minutes and 22.15 seconds, beating her closest competitor, France’s Heidi Gaugain, by around four seconds. That was the 46-year-old’s 13th cycling medal at the Paralympics, having previously competed in swimming, in which she won five medals. 

Storey then extended her incredible record on Friday with a 19th gold as she triumphed in the C4-5 road race.

In addition to her sporting achievements, she now also works with Mayor Andy Burnham and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority as Active Travel Commissioner, playing a key role in the development of the Bee Network. Here is everything you need to know about Dame Sarah Storey. 

Early life

Dame Sarah Storey, nee Bailey, was born in Eccles, Salford. While in the womb, her left arm became entangled in the umbilical cord, which affected the arm’s development and function. But that did not stop her from pursuing sports, joining her first swimming club aged 10. 

Just four years later, she was selected to compete in the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona, coming home with six medals: two gold, three silver and a bronze. 

She has spoken openly in interviews about how, despite her international success, she faced bullying at school that led to an eating disorder in her teenage years. Speaking on Sky Sports' Driving Force programme in 2021, she described herself as a “walking conversation stopper” school, where other girls would tease her for coming in with wet hair. With support from her parents, she sought help from a GP and her career continued to go from strength to strength. 

She studied at the University of Leeds, but commuted from her home in Stockport as she was unable to join the local swimming clubs there. 

Sporting career

Dame Sarah competed professionally as a swimmer until 2004. She competed in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Paralympics, as well as the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Para Swimming Championships, bringing home medals every time. 

In 2005, she made a career move to cycling. She had had problems with ear infections during the Athens 2004 games which prevented her from swimming and had been given a bike to keep fit on. Her curiosity in the sport stemmed from meeting her fellow Paralympians on the cycling team. 

UK Sport were unable to fund her competing in both sports, so she opted for cycling having already achieved dozens of world records on top of her Paralympic medals. She started competing in the UCI Track Para-cycling World Championships, as well as the National Track Championship and also competing in able-bodied athletes. Her first Paralympics in cycling was 2008. Dame Sarah currently has 18 Paralympic gold medals, 43 world titles and 77 world records.

Honours

Dame Sarah was first awarded an MBE in 1998, and an OBE after the Beijing Olympics in 2009. In 2013, following the London Olympics, she was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to para cycling. 

Active Travel Commissioner

Dame Sarah was first appointed the Active Travel Commissioner for South Yorkshire in 2019, the first person to hold the position in the region. She was then appointed in the same role for Greater Manchester. 

She works alongside Greater Manchester Transport Commissioner, Vernon Everitt, and has been a key figure in the development and roll-out of the Bee Network. This is part of GM Mayor Andy Burnham’s plan to introduce a London-style transport system. Her role focuses on ‘active travel,’ which includes walking and cycling. 

Husband and children

Dame Sarah Storey married her husband Barney in 2007. He was a sighted pilot for blind cyclists, competing in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympics. Together they have two children, born in 2013 and 2017, and live in Disley, Cheshire.