Dame Sarah Storey has shared her concern for fellow cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins’ wellbeing, as she endeavors to emulate his achievement of winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Wiggins captured the nation’s heart in 2012, claiming victory in both the Tour de France and an Olympic gold in the time trial during a memorable summer in London.
However, as years passed, Wiggins faced financial difficulties and was declared bankrupt this past summer. Storey, who claimed her 18th and 19th Paralympic gold medals in Paris and is in contention for SPOTY,, expressed her sentiments on Wiggins’ situation: “No, I haven’t seen Bradley for a long time. I have followed his story and it is obviously really sad to see a former team-mate go through what he is going through,” she said.
She pondered the effectiveness of support systems for high-profile athletes: “There is support around for athletes, but when you are a mega star, whether that generic support provided is suitable is a really big question. You have a lot of pride because you are the person that everyone has on a pedestal, so seeking help is hard.”
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Storey also mentioned her efforts in guiding new athletes towards financial prudence: “I have always tried to mentor younger athletes to be really aware of their finances. I was very fortunate to spend five years working with Scottish Widows before the Games in 2012.”
Highlighting a common oversight among her peers, Storey remarked, “One of the things that is really stark is the lack of preparation athletes have for things like pensions and investments with a look to their future.”
“Most athletes get to the age of 30 and they receive a letter from HMRC telling them that they owe thousands of pounds in National Insurance contributions because they didn’t even realise they had to pay them once they left school or education.”
“It is incredibly sad and I hope he bounces back, because when he won that Sports Personality of the Year award in 2012, I’m pretty sure I was sat by the side of the stage cheering. I literally found out I was pregnant with Louisa. So, I will never forget when he won it.”
At 47, Dame Sarah Storey could become the oldest winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, following an extraordinary September that saw her secure dual gold victories in Paris, as well as retaining her world champion titles in the time-trial and road-race events at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
However, cycling legend Mark Cavendish, known for his remarkable 35th Tour de France stage victory, surprisingly missed out on the shortlist before hanging up his professional wheels.
Storey expressed her thoughts: “I would love to have shared the list with Cav.”
Further expressing a desire to triumph for a collective cause, she added, “Equally, if we can get a cyclist back on to the top, since Cav and Bradley have won in the past, then it would be amazing to be able to represent not just the whole of the world of cycling, but also the whole of the ParalympicsGB team, as well as mums of a certain age and women who would play sport across so many different communities.”
“Hopefully all of those people will see something in my nomination and the longevity that I’ve had in sport, and think actually this woman is nothing if not relentless. And therefore she should have my vote! ” exclaimed the contender eagerly ahead of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year event, which will be broadcast live on Tuesday, December 17 at 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.