The Tokyo 2020-bound 43-year-old, who has earned 15 Paralympic gold medals - nine in cycling and five in swimming - won the C5 class time trial on the former Formula One circuit at Estoril, covering the 25.2 kilometres distance in 35min 47.24sec.

Last month Storey was in the news after The Times disclosed she had received a retrospective Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) following an adverse analytical finding for levels of the asthma drug salbutamol in a urine sample at London 2012.

Storey told the newspaper, through a lawyer, that she had been diagnosed with asthma as a child and had "breathing difficulties" after winning gold in the individual pursuit and used an inhaler before needing to speak to journalists.

A British Cycling spokesperson said: "Our understanding is that both the British Paralympic Association and the rider followed the appropriate processes, and that the International Paralympic Committee, UK Anti-Doping and the World Anti-Doping Agency have raised no concerns either at the time or since."

Taking silver behind Storey was compatriot Crystal Lane-Wright in 36:33.33, with bronze going to Germany’s Karstin Brachtendorf in 37:52.30.

Daniela Munevar Florez of Colombia won the women’s C2 title, completing the 16.8km distance in 28:43.40, with second place going to Germany’s Malke Hausberger in 29:08.82 and Switzerland’s Flurina Rigling taking bronze in 29:22.15.

Anna Beck of Sweden earned the C3 title in 26:34.60 from France’s Elise Marc, who clocked 27:04.60, with Germany’s Denise Schindler third in 27:47.61.

The C4 title went to Marie-Claude Molnar of Canada, racing over 25.2km in 41:49.47, with silver going to France’s Katell Alencon in 43:56.24 and bronze to RPC rider Elena Galkina in 44:25.40.

In men’s racing, Spain’s Ricardo Ten Argiles won the C1 class time trial, finishing the 16.8km distance in 24:31.64.

Second place went to RPC's Mikhail Astashov, who clocked 24:36.65, and a time of 25:07.90 from Germany’s Michael Teuber was enough for bronze.

The men's C2 time trial, over 25.2km, went to France’s Alexandre Leaute, who finished in 35:09.88.

Silver went to Spain’s Maurice Far Eckhard Tio in 35:20.69, with the RPC competitor Arslan Gilmutdinov taking bronze in 35:48.32 ahead of Belgium’s Ewoud Vromant, who clocked 36:12.10.

Today was the first of two days of individual time trials for men and women in this International Cycling Union event across the different handbike, tricycle, cycle and tandem sport classes, racing over distances between 16.8km and 33.6km - two to four laps of an 8.4km circuit.

Saturday (June 12) and Sunday (July 13) will see the staging of the road races, starting with the tandem through to the handbike categories ahead of Sunday evening’s closing awards ceremonies.