CYCLING queen Sarah Storey revealed yesterday how she was spurred on to
Paralympic glory by jealous bullies.
Sarah picked up an incredible four golds at London 2012 — giving her an
amazing career haul of 11.
And she told how cruel taunts from girls at school — which pushed her to the
brink of anorexia — helped turn her into one of the greatest athletes ever.
Sarah, 35, said: “If I could go back and offer words of comfort to my
14-year-old self I would say everything happens for a reason.
“All the name-calling and loneliness toughened me up and made me strong enough
to achieve all I have.
“I wouldn’t swap one of my golds to change any of it.
“When I was at my lowest, my parents told me to keep looking to the future —
that everything would be all right. I managed to believe them and do just
that.
“It was the best lesson anyone could have taught me.”
Sarah, whose left hand failed to form properly in the womb, started off as a
swimmer.
When she was just 14, she won an astonishing two golds, three silvers and a
bronze at the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona.
But on her return to school, she was alienated by the other girls, who used to
follow her into the toilet and taunt her while she hid in a cubicle.
She recalled: “They’d call me weird, and accuse me of being big-headed when I
couldn’t have kept a lower profile.
“They even hated me for coming to school with wet hair after training. It was
horrible.”
Things got worse for Sarah, who grew up in Cheshire.
“In the dinner-hall they’d shuffle the seats round to make sure I ate alone,”
she said. “So I’d skip lunch altogether.”
After her weight plummeted, her mum took her to a GP who threatened to send
her to a specialist.
Sarah said: “She told me to sort myself out — so I did.”
She slowly regained her weight and the bullying stopped when she left school
for college.
The medals continued — with three golds at Atlanta in 1996, and a clutch of
silvers and bronzes in 2000 and 2004.
However, when her career was ended by persistent ear infections, she switched
to cycling.
“As long as I was successful I didn’t mind what sport it was in,” she said.
Extraordinarily, two golds followed at Beijing in 2008 — before her stunning
success at 2012.
Tonight she will be part of the closing ceremony as Britain’s greatest
Paralympian alongside Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson whose record gold total
she has equalled.
She even has an eye on Rio in four years’ time — but first she’s due for a
well-earned rest with her husband, fellow cycling gold medallist Barney.
Sarah, of Disley, Cheshire, said: “I’m looking forward to sitting down with
our cat, Alfie, on my knee, and chatting about it with Barney.
“But I’ll miss all this — it’s been one of the most incredible experiences of
my life.”
Sarah takes part in a stage of the Deloitte Ride Across Britain on Wednesday,
cycling from Haydock Park to Penrith.
myView
By MARIA MILLER, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary
AS the curtain closes on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games tonight,
we will all look back on a fantastic summer of sport – one to remember for
the rest of our lives.
The performances of our British Olympic and Paralympic athletes were
inspiring.
The brilliant Games makers put smiles on faces and were a wonderful advert for
volunteering.
Britain showed the world that what it promises, it delivers.
The Games have shone a spotlight on sport like never before, inspiring many
young people to get out there and try to emulate Mo, Jess and Ellie.
We want the sports legacy to last a lifetime, not just a few weeks. And that
is going to be one of my top priorities as Culture Secretary.
Better links between schools and local sports clubs, upgraded facilities
across the country and good coaching are all part of the plan.
The Olympic and Paralympic flames may have gone out but I’ll help make sure
our passion for sport keeps burning brightly.
Stone me I’ve won
CYCLING champ David Stone successfully defended his road race crown yesterday
to make up for the heartbreak of losing his time trial title.
David bounced back from his disappointing bronze on Wednesday to win the mixed
T1-2 category.
Cerebral palsy sufferer David, 31, won his 24km race in 45 mins, 7 secs.
The victory handed the tricycle rider his third Paralympic gold after he won
the time trial and road race four years ago.
David, of Birmingham, said: “It makes it better to win today because the time
trial was so disappointing.”
Pool queen Ellie Simmonds ended her brilliant Paralympics last night with a
silver, taking her tally to four, including two golds.
She beat her personal best by more than a second in the S6 100m freestyle, but
lost to America’s Victoria Arlen. Ellie, 17, who suffers from dwarfism,
beamed: “I’m chuffed.”
Dad Steve said: “She’s done herself, us and her country proud.”
Last night, third-placed Britain’s medal tally hit 118, including 33 golds.
Fab Oscar a blade winner
OSCAR Pistorius stormed to victory in the 400m last night, ending his Games in
a blades of glory.
The South African, 25, said after he won the T43 category in a Paralympics
record of 46.68 secs: “I’m so proud. It’s one of the biggest highlights of
my life.”
Blade runner Pistorius reversed his shock defeat by Brazilian Alan Oliveira in
the 200m last week.
Ta, Britain
LOTTERY-funded Olympic and Paralympic stars spell out a thank you to Britons —
after hitting the jackpot themselves at London 2012.
