'I hope they never do this to the women again': Sarah Storey criticises Paralympic course after claiming 18th gold

Dame Sarah Storey claimed her 18th Paralympic gold medal at the Paris Games, winning the C5 time trial on Wednesday morning.

Storey completed the 14.1-kilometre course in 20:22.15, just over four seconds faster than France's Heidi Gaugain, with Alana Forster (Aus) rounding off the podium.

However, Storey, who is competing in her ninth Games said that the course was "disappointing", adding "I hope they never do this to the women again".

Speaking after the race, the 46-year-old - who became Britain's most successful Paralympian of all-time in Tokyo - said: "This is the shortest Paralympic time trial we have ever had, and I think it's a real shame because we don't get to showcase Para-sport in the way we want to."

Male athletes will race over two laps of the same course, covering 28.3km. Storey added: "There's plenty of time in the day for us to do two laps like the men. Having fought so hard for parity in women's cycling, to not have it is a real disappointment.

"I've had to put that aside and focus on what I could control, because I couldn't control the race distance. But I hope they never do this to the women again, because it has been appalling.

"It's a hilly 10km. I do lots of those at home so I have plenty of practice. But in championships you expect a race of minimum 22km, that's what we've done in all the other Paralympic Games."

Comparing the course to previous events, in Beijing, Rio and Tokyo, she said: "This has been the most disappointing in that sense, given what came before it."

Storey, who has Gold medals in swimming, road and track cycling, will race only road events this year, with her next opportunity to claim a medal in the C5 road race, on Friday.

GB claimed four medals in the Paralympic time trials on Wednesday. Fran Brown earned a silver medal in the C1-3 race, three days after she was struck by a car driver and dislocated her shoulder. "I had zero more to give today so am stoked with silver," Brown wrote on X. 

There was a silver medal too for Sophie Unwin and her pilot Jenny Holl in the tandem time trial, the duo adding to the gold and bronze they achieved on the track and completing the medal set. Lora Fachie, piloted by Corrine Hall, finished third in the event.