Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey is this week's Radio Times cover star
She's Britain's most decorated Paralympian, but don't dare tell her she's brave and courageous.
When we began planning this week's issue of Radio Times for the Paralympic Games in Paris, there was one person we simply had to talk to - cover star Sarah Storey. She will be competing at her ninth Games, an amazing record that no one will be able to better.
The 47-year-old tells us how she first competed as a swimmer at the Barcelona Games in 1992 and how she then decided to change disciplines to road cycling and has since become our most decorated Paralympian.
It's an unbelievable achievement, but what Storey tells us - as does former Paralympian and disability rights campaigner Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and all the other people we talk to - is that the Paralympics is about sport and not disability.
They are elite athletes who happen to have a disability. Paralympic GB athletes train just as hard as their Team GB colleagues, can suffer the same injuries (and several different ones) in the pursuit of excellence. None of them wants sympathy or to be called superheroes.
The athletes also talk about important wider issues. As Storey says, "In day-to-day life, we add hurdles to people with disabilities, because we forget to think about them. The London Paralympics might have been inspiring, but it didn't change the fact that disabled people are still left on trains because there are no ramps, or that people leave Lime bikes lying on the pavement. All of that matters."
Let's hope that when the cheering stops we start to see changes in society that will benefit all disabled people. But first the sport. This year Channel 4 has increased its usual excellent coverage and we have comprehensive, extended listings to guide you through the action every day of the Games. Don't miss a moment!
The Paralympics 2024 issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here.
Also in this week's Radio Times:
- 'Farm strength' and a silver racing wheelchair with pink stars inspired Sammi Kinghorn to become our fastest sprinter.
- After treatment for breast cancer, Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden is back.
- Sherwood star David Morrissey is serious about his craft - and just as earnest about having a laugh.
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