The veteran athlete from Manchester is the most decorated British Paralympian of all time, boasting 28 medals, including 17 golds in swimming and cycling. Her legacy has been built on a foundation of excellence and experience. No other active Paralympian in any sport has won more. This is why the excitement and anticipation surrounding her presence in the glamorous Paris is as immense as her figure.

A thousand kilometres south of the French capital, in another sophisticated and modern city, Barcelona, Storey's remarkable journey began before the turn of the millennium. The 46-year-old athlete is now aiming for two more golds in road cycling at Paris 2024, hoping to add to the 12 she currently has in her personal trophy cabinet.

It’s worth noting that for the Briton, this preparation for the Paralympics has been more challenging than most, but Storey, always one to see the silver lining, has been driven by several factors. Among them, the desire not to compete in her final Games in front of empty stands, as she did in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

After the thrilling appetizer that was the Paris Olympics a few weeks ago, where the passion and energy of the spectators could be felt in the stands, Storey hopes that the Paralympics will “experience a similar atmosphere.” So far, over two million tickets have been sold, suggesting that the spectacle will be well and truly served in the Parisian venues.

However, among those millions of spectators, Storey has her focus on two particular viewers: her children, Louisa, aged 10, and Charlie, aged six. The mother of two admits to feeling “motivated and energised” by the prospect of competing in Games that she hopes both children will remember when they’re older, as they were too young in Tokyo to fully grasp the enormity of their mother’s status in the Paralympic elite.

“When we made the decision after Tokyo that I would continue, there was no guarantee that we wouldn’t still be in some form of lockdown,” she told Joe Lynskey of BBC Breakfast. “But the opportunity to have normal Games with fans, supporters, children in the streets, the chance to experience that core, was too good to pass up. Charlie has never experienced the Olympics atmosphere. Hopefully, he and Louisa will remember this one”, confessed the legendary cyclist.

The reality is that Storey’s rise to the top has not been a smooth journey. The seasoned athlete has faced countless challenges throughout her career, but even for her, this Paralympic cycle has been “difficult,” according to her own words. Sponsorship issues and uneven funding were compounded by a severe accident in 2022, which left her with broken ribs, a partially punctured lung, and a concussion. Yet, she bounced back. The fateful incident caused Storey to miss the 2022 World Championships and left her unsure if she could reach the demanding levels required for an event like Paris 2024.

Her improvement in form restored the confidence needed to take on the competition, as she prepares to become the first British athlete to compete in, wait for it, nine Paralympic Games. “I saw my highest power output on the road, which at 46 years old is no small feat. Almost two years later, my body started to recover after going through such a terrible time at the end of 2022. There was a moment when I wondered if age had caught up with me or if I was just unlucky to have all this happening at the same time,” Storey told the BBC.

There is a special ingredient behind Storey’s remarkable longevity that makes her a force to be reckoned with. It can be attributed to a rigorous and personalised training regime, but the hidden element is her meticulous attention to every detail, no matter how trivial. Storey always strives for excellence in everything she does.

And rightly so, as she approaches the half-century mark, competing against rivals who weren’t even born when she was winning her first gold medals in the late '90s. In a bid to maximise her efficiency, the veteran will not participate in any track cycling events but will focus all her attention on defending her gold in two events: the road race and the time trial.

Storey is the reigning champion in the road race, having claimed her 17th gold in the women’s C4-5 individual road race in the Japanese capital three years ago. She is even more dominant in the time trial, having won the event in every Games since she switched from swimming to cycling in Beijing 2008.

The Manchester native will turn 50 during the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles, but she says she hasn’t thought that far ahead given her packed schedule, which is as full as her prowess on the bike. Her primary passion remains Paralympic sport, no doubt, and although she acknowledges that there have been significant improvements in funding and coverage since her first Games 32 years ago, she believes there is still a long way to go. A staunch advocate for progress in sport, she feels that “prize money hasn’t reached Para-sport at any level, there are areas that need improvement,” Storey remarked, dropping a bittersweet truth for the governing bodies.