Cycling Storey has a happy ending

By Paul Carter

There were mixed fortunes for husband and wife pair Sarah and Barney Storey at Beijing’s Laoshan Velodrome on day two of the Paralympics.

Former swimming multi-medallist Sarah Storey was earlier denied a cycling medal in her first Games on the track, as she fell victim to a pretty robust system of “factoring”.

Despite riding the second-best time of the competition, and recording a new personal best, she had to settle for fifth place as American Jennifer Schuble broke the world record in her category.

As it was a “multi-disability” event, the times were factored based on the level of the riders’ impairments, leaving Storey with an impossible task after Schuble had been out on the track.

“This year I’ve done a PB every time I’ve raced the 500m,” she said.

“I clocked a 39.4 at the world championships and then at the European masters in July a 39.1, so I’m really pleased with my time here. My second lap was stonking at 15.7 and a low 38 is a great ride.”

She will get another chance to medal in the individual pursuit on the track, and the road race time trial later in the week.

There was happier news for the Storey family later in the day, though, as husband Barney piloted Anthony Kappes as the pair went out and won GB’s fourth gold medal in the kilo time trial, breaking the world record in the process with a new mark of 1:02.864.

Kappes said: “Technically it was not superb, it could have been better, but we’ll take it.”