Neil and Lora Fachie had a big part to play in the British celebrations at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow on Friday during the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships.
For many, one UCI World title is already an ambitious career goal. Scotland’s Neil Fachie now has 17 and is still going strong. Alongside pilot Matthew Rotherham, the 39-year-old Scotsman stormed to gold in the Men B 1km time trial, retaining the rainbow jersey won last year in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.
Later in the evening, Fachie’s wife Lora and her pilot Corrine Hall – 4th yesterday in the Women B 1km time trial - claimed silver in the individual pursuit behind another British tandem, Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl (also winners of the 1 km time trial).
The Fachie couple has successfully managed to juggle sport at the highest level and parenting. Before his latest rainbow jersey – beating countrymen James Ball and pilot Steffan Lloyd – Neil Fachie was still not sure what to expect: “My 2023’s been interesting, to say the least,” he said in an interview before the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships. “I’ve been getting to grips with training full-time, fatherhood and a wife who’s back training pretty much full-time. Lora and I have to share when we train and when we look after our wee lad. That’s been a challenge and the lack of sleep has taken its toll a bit.”
It didn’t show in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
It was a memorable day for Great Britain all round as they racked up four gold medals.
In the Men C3 1km time trial, 23-year-old Fin Graham – winner last year in the omnium, scratch race and individual pursuit - was in the lead with only his teammate Jaco Van Gass to go. Great Britain was assured of gold and silver. Van Gass, a two-time Paralympic Champion and five-time UCI World Champion unleashed his power to take a sixth UCI World title, eclipsing Graham’s time by a quarter of a second. New Zealand’s Devon Briggs won the bronze medal.
Van Gass’s triumph came off the back of another British victory in the form of Jody Cundy who dominated the Men C4 1km time trial, bettering the time of New Zealand’s Michael Shippley by over a second. China’s Guoqing Wu won bronze.
Cundy remains unbeaten in the Men C4 1km time trial at the UCI Worlds since making his debut all the way back in 2006, despite confessing he’s struggled with motivation since success at the Tokyo Paralympics. That’s not been evident in Scotland as Cundy had also broken the world record in the MC4 200m flying start 24 hours previous.
World records for Wangwei and Rigling
Earlier in the evening, China’s Qian Wangwei kickstarted a memorable session by breaking the world record in the Women C1 500m time trial (41.113). Great Britain’s Frances Brown won silver, and China’s Jiafan Yang bronze.
Another world record came from Switzerland’s Flurina Rigling in the Women’s C2 flying 200 metres. The Swiss rider then went on to halt Great Britain’s gold rush by holding off Daphne Schrager in the individual pursuit. In the battle for bronze, Australia’s Amanda Reid beat Germany’s Maike Hausberger.
There was very nearly further Swiss success in an exhilarating Women C4 Scratch Race as Franziska Matile-Dorig broke from the pack on the final lap but was pipped at the line by China’s Xiaohui Li. America’s Samantha Bosco, who won two golds at last year’s UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, finished third.
Para-cycling action continues tomorrow on the third day of the UCI Cycling World Championships taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland until 13 August.
🔥 PURE POWER 🔥#GlasgowScotland2023 pic.twitter.com/oJo5LDSaOO
— UCI Para-Cycling (@UCI_paracycling) August 4, 2023
Results and live timing on the UCI website.
Brief explanation of para-cycling sport classes for the track
C – Cycle: conventional bike with adaptations if necessary
B – Tandem: for blind or visually impaired athlete with sighted pilot