Wow! What a fantastic ride by Neil Fachie of Scotland, setting a new Games record of 1.02.096 to win gold at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Exactly what the home crowd wanted.
Fachie, 29, is now the Paralympic, World and Commonwealth champion.
Gold Scotland
Neil Fachie 1.02.096
Craig Maclean
Silver Australia
Kieran Modra 1:02.244
Jason Niblett
Bronze Wales
Matthew Ellis 1.04.095
Leuan Williams
Words from the Winners
Neil Fachie
On his expectations for the race:
“We knew we had a chance. But everyone was supportive and it all came together. We did a lot of the hard work beforehand but obviously anything can happen on the day.”
On going on to compete more:
“I’m not quite done yet.”
On competing at Glasgow 2014:
“Just to compete in a Commonwealth Games but as a para-athlete, the fact that we are here in Glasgow makes it a tenfold.”
Craig Maclean
On winning gold:
“I felt the win was absolutely justified. I knew we were going to get it after the first 500m. When we crossed the line on the fourth lap I thought we’d lost it, but we got it.”
On the bowl they received as a gift with the medal:
“It’s a Scottish tradition. You take a drink from it and pass it on.”
On future ambitions:
“Rio (the 2016 Olympics) is only two years away so I guess the long-term objective would be to get a medal there. We’ve also got another event tomorrow.”
On stumbling blocks to reaching success:
“There’s always a fear and at my age (he will be 43 on 31 July) it comes. Tandem bikes are just a nightmare to use anyway.”
About: Neil Fachie
Type of Impairment
Visual impairment
Impairment Details
He has a congenital eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa.
Start of sporting career
Having missed out on the 100m and 200m athletics finals at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, he decided he wanted to change sports and took up cycling.
Reason for taking up this sport
The explosive power he had developed through athletics impressed cycling coaches and he officially joined the Great Britain para-cycling squad in 2009.
Ambitions
To reach an equal level of performance to top able-bodied athletes.
Hero
British cyclist Mark Cavendish.
Of Note
By the end of his first year as a track cyclist he had won world championship gold and broken two world records. He admits to thinking the sport was easy at first. “I think I did take my foot off the gas for the next few months, thinking, ‘I don’t even have to try too hard and I’m up there’. But I quickly realised that me coming on the scene made other people work harder and then I was getting beaten again. I’ve upped my game to where I very much doubt that there is anyone out there working harder than I am.”
About: Kieran Modra
Type of Impairment
Visual impairment
Impairment Details
He has a visual impairment as a result of being born with a condition called juvenile optic atrophy.
Start of sporting career
He began para-cycling in 1995.
Reason for taking up this sport
“It was a mode of transport for me and I enjoyed the team aspect of cycling.”
Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning gold at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens.
Hero
Training partner Mike Hoile.
