Paralympic Games: Razor-sharp Barney stars with Sir Chris

BARNEY Storey, who yesterday won silver alongside Neil Fachie in the tandem sprint after winning one-kilometre time-trial gold on day three, was one of the most seen Paralympians on television this summer, prior to the Olympic Games.

The 35-year-old pilot to visually impaired rider Fachie was the anonymous figure in a television advert featuring Sir Chris Hoy in the lead-up to the Olympic Games, but was coy on whether he received free razors. Storey said: “We did the filming just after Chris had come back from the World Cup in Kazakhstan [last November] when he had obliterated everyone. Even in half-hearted training efforts it was bloody hard riding with him.”

Discus gold medal winner Aled Davies admitted he had to rein in his celebrations after winning his event yesterday. The Welshman still raced off in delight before embarking on lap of honour but revealed he had learned the hard way not to be too over-enthusiastic. He said: “When celebrating my lifetime best I jumped in joy and tore ligaments in my ankle, so I was like ‘I won’t be doing that again’.”

Dutch dressage rider Frank Hosmar is something of a rock fan – as fans at Greenwich Park will find out tomorrow. Hosmar finished third in yesterday’s Grade IV individual championship on Alphaville, a horse named after a German pop group, but it will be Guns N’ Roses and Pink Floyd that take centre-stage when he performs his freestyle to music test. Hosmar said: “In the freestyle we will be performing to Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child of Mine and Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd.”