Superstars Sir Chris Hoy & Dame Sarah Storey share King’s stage

Sporting superstars Dame Sarah Storey and Sir Chris Hoy shared The King’s School stage to give an intimate account of their monumental Olympian journeys.

The evening, superbly hosted by former Sale Sharks scrum half Will Cliff, saw a sell-out 600 strong audience totally spell bound by the cyclists’ fierce determination, devotion to detail and joyous celebration of life.

They received thunderous ovations at the start and at the end of the two-hour event, not even taking a break but using the interval to meet the audience and share in family photos. The two sporting icons shared intimate details of the highs and lows of their careers to date, answering questions from the audience of children and adults. Proceeds from the evening will go to The Christie and King’s School’s Bursary fund.

The list of honours is endless for the Cheshire contemporaries: Dame Sarah won 30 Paralympic medals, with 19 gold, plus 45 world titles with six in her first sport of swimming. While Sir Chris with six Olympic golds, plus a silver, is one of Britain’s greatest ever Olympic medal holders. However, it has not all been accolades and acclaim, theirs’ is a tale of grit, guts and grim determination.

As Sir Chris recounted to peals of laughter: “I remember returning to my tiny shared Salford flat after winning my first Gold Medal in the 1 Km time trial at the Athens Olympics in 2000 to a pile of bills lying on a carpet that you could hardly walk on it was so sticky. No one recognised me. It was just back to training.”

Dame Sarah then recounted coming back to school in Manchester from her first Paralympics at the age of just 14 after winning 2 gold, 3 silver and one bronze medal at the Barcelona Games and being cold shouldered by her class mates in school. “I was advised not to keep talking about my success, and was ultimately not really embraced by friends of my own age. I was only really able to talk about what had happened with the other swimmers who were all two years older than me. I really struggled at school, but in the process, I learned always to go my own way.”

Neither of the titans was to be deterred and those experiences served only as a further catalyst to their glorious sporting careers. They were both part of the cycling revolution aided and abetted by David Brailsford’s theory of aggregated marginal gains and Dr Steve Peter’s stress busting psychological support, with the Beijing Games seeing the real breakthrough.

In China in 2008, the Olympic Cycling team spearheaded by Sir Chris won eight gold, three silver and two bronze medals, with the Paralympians, led by Dame Sarah following up with a stunning 20 medals, including 17 golds. “It was after Beijing that the country went cycling crazy with all the men in Lycra blocking up the roads,” recounted the engagingly self-deprecating Sir Chris.

So, what separates the merely very good from the great? Sir Chris said: “On my way up I saw people giving what they thought was their all, but I could see it was just 99%. You have to commit everything to every single session.”

Dame Sarah said: “It’s quite simple: you have to leave no stone unturned. You have to examine every little detail of your performance, your training, preparation and lifestyle and work out just how you can do better.”

This was never more true when at the last Paris Games, Dame Sarah came back to sport after serious health issues at the age of 46 to beat the new French 19-year-old wonder kid. Dame Sarah had suffered a collapsed lung and her chest had been pumped full of medication with 18 months left to the Games, but still fought back to win. “I simply wasn’t her going to let her beat me,” she told an audience gripped by her tales of resilience, determination and competitive spirit. “Also as a mum, I had so dearly wanted to have my youngest child, Charlie, see me race. He had not been able to come to Tokyo because of Covid and had always said he wanted to see me race at a Paralympics.”

Now as parents, they simply wish to provide as many opportunities as possible for their own children. “My father used to drive me all over the country, from Edinburgh even down to the South Coast so I could race,” remembered Sir Chris. “He didn’t force me. If I wanted to race, he’d make sure I had the opportunity. Our children can choose whatever they want. It doesn’t have to be cycling. It doesn’t have to sport. It could be music, art, drama, wherever their passion lies, we would just like to provide those opportunities.” Then smiling cheekily, he added: “However, if it happens to be track cycling, I won’t complain!”

The evening ended as Sir Chris gave an update on his cancer diagnosis; news which has shocked and saddened the nation, but which Sir Chris is now typically using as a platform for good. “It came out of the blue and there’s little I can do about it, but life is finite for everyone and it has inspired me to enjoy every day. It has also provided me with an opportunity to raise awareness and in the process raise £1 million for cancer care.” Pointing the audience to the Tour De 4.com website he said: “There is a cycling event for all ages and abilities, with a choice of distances, starting and finishing at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome on Sunday 7th September 2025. You can pick your age and ability level, but I’d like you to join me in raising that £1 million.”

King’s School Head of Foundation Jason Slack said: “I cannot think of two better role models, not just for our pupils, but for all the community. It was a stunning evening and an absolute privilege to hear first-hand about the ups and downs of the life stories of two Great Britons.”