Sir Chris Hoy and Dame Sarah Storey reflect on legendary careers during visit to Macclesfield
Two of Britain's greatest sporting stars paid a visit to Macclesfield.
Dame Sarah Storey and Sir Chris Hoy recently shared the stage at King's School.
The evening, hosted by former Sale Sharks scrum half Will Cliffe, attracted a sell-out 600-strong audience, raising money for The Christie and King's School's bursary fund.
Jason Slack, the school's head of foundation, 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 listen to the life stories of two Great Britons."
Asked what separates the 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 per cent.
"You have to commit everything to every single session."
Dame Sarah added: "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."
Dame Sarah is one of the most decorated Paralympians of all time with 19 golds to her name along with 45 world titles.
Meanwhile, Sir Chris has won six Olympics golds and 11 world championship titles.
"I remember returning to my tiny shared Salford flat after winning my first Gold Medal in the 1km 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," Sir Chris recalled.
"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 two gold, three 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," she said.
"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."
In China in 2008, the Olympic cycling team spearheaded by Sir Chris won eight gold, three silver and two bronze medals.
The Paralympians, led by Dame Sarah, then followed that up with a 20 medal haul, including 17 golds.
"It was after Beijing that the country went cycling crazy with all the men in Lycra blocking up the roads," said Sir Chris.
In 2024, Dame Sarah came back from serious health issues to win two gold medals in Paris.
"As a mum, I had so dearly wanted to have my youngest child, Charlie, see me race," she said.
"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.
"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.
"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," he said.
"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, September 7. You can pick your age and ability level, but I'd like you to join me in raising that £1 million."
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