First GB Paralympic gold for former Cheadle and Marple 6th Form College student

Former Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College student Sarah Storey wins Britain’s first gold medal after earlier breaking her own world record in cycling.

This is the 24th gold medal for the 34-year-old who was born with a congenital abnormality of the left hand.

Also an Association of College (AoC) Gold award winner in 2010, Sarah defended her women’s individual pursuit C5 gold from Beijing after lapping Poland’s Anna Harkowska half-way through the final race.

Her athletic career began when she was fast-tracked onto the British Paralympic swimming team aged 14, but after winning 16 medals in the pool she suffered from a serious ear infection in 2005 that kept her out of the pool and she began to cycle to keep fit.

Storey rapidly fell in love with the sport and became the first cyclist with a disability to compete for Great Britain at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, where she finished sixth overall.

The winner of the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year in 2009 has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Manchester Metropolitan University and is married to Para-Cycling sprint pilot Barney Storey.

Picture: Winning Gold at Laoshan Velodrome during day four of the 2008 Paralympic Games on September 10, 2008 in Beijing, China.  Photo from www.paralympic.org

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