Are ParalympicsGB relying too much on golden oldies?

Experience is not in short supply in the ranks of ParalympicsGB and that is not necessarily a good thing. Paris 2024 will see records tumble when it comes to longevity and while all remarkable achievements individually, they are best served with a note of caution.

- TOM HARLE

Before London 2012, no athlete had represented ParalympicsGB eight times; in Paris, we will see three golden oldies who have done so. Dame Sarah Storey will become the first British athlete to compete at nine Games, with Britain’s greatest Paralympian having made her debut as a swimmer at Barcelona 1992.

Clearly, this is a remarkable achievement for an athlete who has successfully adapted her training around motherhood, overcome injury and blazed a trail with her eponymous Storey Racing trade team.

“Charlie [her son] said after Tokyo, ‘I want to watch you at the Paralympics, Mum’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, OK, here we go again, back on the rollercoaster’” said the 46-year-old, who is a 17-time gold medallist.

“That was a huge motivation. Obviously, I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t think my body and mind were up to it, because there’s a huge amount of work that goes into getting there.”

Canoeist Jeanette Chippington, 54, will feature at her eighth Paralympics. She has followed a similar arc and competed five times as a swimmer starting all the way back at Seoul 1988. These Games will take on extra significance for Chippington as the first without either of her parents.