Cyclist
The best British cycling moments from the Paris 2024 Paralympics
The summer of sport has officially passed. The Paralympics is over for another four years but the memories from these Games will last a lifetime. In total, Great Britain won 22 medals in cycling, a mix of gold, silver and bronze placing them third in the sport’s medal table.
These are five of the best moments.
Sarah Storey wins incredible 19th gold medal
Dame Sarah Storey has never lost in cycling at the Paralympics.
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) September 6, 2024
Just let that sink in.#Paris2024 #Paralympics #IAmLimitless pic.twitter.com/5PlJoZf3Lh
Sarah Storey, the most decorated British Paralympian, notched her 19th gold medal with victory in cycling’s C4-5 road race. It was the 30th medal of her career, and came just two days after winning a gold medal in the C5 road time-trial. The 46-year-old pipped France’s Heidi Gaugain to the line and described the Paralympics as a ‘whirlwind’.
Storey’s Paralympic career stretches back to the 1992 Barcelona Games. Then, as a 14-year-old swimmer, she won two gold medals before adding another three in the pool at Atlanta 1996. She transitioned to cycling and won her first Paralympic gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games in the time-trial and individual pursuit.
Her dominance continued throughout her home Paralympics at London 2012, where she claimed a further four gold medals. At Rio 2016, Storey was victorious in the individual pursuit, time-trial and road race, going on to defend her titles in these events at Tokyo 2020. And she’s yet to rule out LA 2028…
Archie Atkinson wins silver medal and hearts worldwide
From an experienced Paralympian to one making their debut. 20-year-old Archie Atkinson lit the track on fire in Paris, setting a world record with a time of 4min 17.7sec during the men’s C4 pursuit qualifying. He was set to win the gold medal against Slovakia’s Jozef Metelka but crashed just before he could make the catch.
But Atkinson can be pleased with a silver medal around his neck. He said that younger him ‘would be proud’ and that he ‘completely emptied’ himself and fell off his saddle. His exploits were picked up by Channel 4 show The Last Leg, which described his debut Games as his ‘origin story’.
One thing is for sure. He will be a menace in 2028.
Redemption for Kadeena Cox with team sprint gold
After posting the second-fastest time in qualifying, it was heartbreak for Kadeena Cox after a crash on the first corner of the C4-5 500m time-trial left her unable to defend her title from Rio and Tokyo. She was able to participate in the C1-5 team sprint a few days later, though, alongside Jaco van Gass, who was gunning for his second gold medal of these Paralympics having defended his C3 3,000m individual pursuit title, and Jody Cundy, who was eyeing to win a medal at each of his eight Paralympic Games.
On the final day of racing on the velodrome, Cox kicked things off by riding the first lap, followed by Van Gass then Cundy. With their time of 47.738sec they beat the Spanish trio by 1.8sec to retain their title from Tokyo.
Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl dominate
Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl were a force to be reckoned with at the Paralympics. Kicking things off on the track, the pair – Unwin is visually impaired and Holl is her pilot – rode to a bronze medal in the women’s B time-trial as fellow Brits Elizabeth Jordan and pilot Dannielle Khan scored gold. They then jumped to the top step of the podium in the pursuit, beating Ireland by over two seconds.
The order was reversed on the road time-trial, where Unwin and Hall secured a silver medal against the same two-woman Ireland team. It was a gold medal for the pair in the road race, however, narrowly beating Ireland (again) by three seconds in the sprint to the line. Talk about a dynamite duo.
Finlay Graham wins road race gold
24-year-old Finlay Graham sprinted to a gold medal in the men’s C1-3 road race, beating France’s Thomas Peyroton-Dartet over the 71km course.
Graham, who had secured a silver medal on the track for the men’s C3 3,000m individual pursuit the week prior, was part of a trio comprising Peyroton-Dartet and his teammate Alexandre Léauté to break away on the third of five laps. Graham and Peyroton-Dartet would leave Léauté behind as they closed in on the finish, where Graham outsprinted his French rival to win the gold.
It was Great Britain’s 43rd gold medal of the Paralympics. They would ultimately finish second in the overall medal standings to China, finishing with 124 medals – 49 gold, 44 silver and 31 bronze.
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