British Paralympic cyclist Sarah Storey has expressed her disappointment and frustration with the course length for the women’s road time trial event at the Paris Paralympics, calling it “appalling”. Despite her concerns, Storey won her 18th Paralympic gold medal, extending her record as Britain’s most decorated Paralympian.

Storey completed the 14.1km course in 20 minutes and 22.15 seconds, finishing 4.69 seconds ahead of French athlete Heidi Gaugain. However, she criticized the course length, stating that it was the shortest Paralympic time trial she had ever competed in and that athletes had appealed to organizers for a longer course but received no response.

“The course length is appalling,” Storey said. “We’ve never had a time trial this short before. We’ve always had at least 22km, and this is just 14.1km. It’s a real shame because we don’t get to showcase our abilities as much as we would like to.”

Storey’s win marks her fifth successive Paralympic gold medal in the women’s road event and her 13th cycling gold medal overall. She will compete again in the road race on Friday, aiming to add a 19th gold medal to her collection.

The issue of course length has sparked debate, with only one women’s road time trial event being contested over a two-lap distance of 28.3km, compared to seven men’s events. Storey and other athletes have expressed their disappointment, feeling that the shorter course does not provide parity with men’s events.

“We’ve fought hard for parity in women’s cycling, and to not have it here is a real disappointment,” Storey said. “I hope they never do this to the women again.”

Despite her frustration, Storey was delighted to win gold in front of her family, including her two children, Louisa and Charlie. “Louisa said to me last night at dinner, ‘This is the first Games I’m going to remember’,” Storey said. “I’m utterly delighted to win gold in front of them.”

Storey’s teammate, Fran Brown, won silver in the women’s C1-3 category, and Matthew Robertson came fifth in the men’s C2 event. Daphne Schrager finished fifth behind Brown in the women’s C1-3 event.

The controversy over course length has overshadowed what was otherwise a successful day for the British cycling team. Storey’s win has extended her record as Britain’s most decorated Paralympian, and she will look to add to her medal tally in the road race on Friday.