Triple gold for Great Britain on final day of para-cycling track world championships

Triple gold for Great Britain on final day of para-cycling track world championships

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Great Britain won three gold medals on the final day of the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Mexico.

Dame Sarah Storey collected her second rainbow jersey in in Aguascalientes with a convincing victory in the women’s C1-5 scratch race.

And there were two gold medals in the men’s and women’s tandem sprint competitions as the partnerships of Neil Fachie/Peter Mitchell and Sophie Thornhill/Rachel James both picked up second world titles respectively.

Both pairings had earlier set world records in qualifying.

"This week's been fantastic - to go home from my first track Worlds with two rainbow jerseys post-baby is just brilliant," Storey told BBC Sport.

"I haven't ridden in a scratch race for quite a while, so to add that to the pursuit gold is just magic."

Great Britain ended the championships with 10 medals: seven gold, one silver and two bronze.

Looking to add to her C5 three-kilometre pursuit gold and 500 metre time-trial bronze medal, Storey dominated the 10-kilometre scratch race.

The 36-year-old took two laps on the field over the 40 laps with no other rider able to mount a response.

Neil Fachie and pilot Pete Mitchell set a new world record in qualifying for the men’s tandem sprint.

Having produced the first sub-minute tandem kilo in history on day two of the championships, the duo completed their 200m qualifying flying lap in 9.711 seconds to beat the record set by Britain’s Anthony Kappes and Craig Maclean at the London 2012 Paralympics.

Victories over Greece in the quarter-finals and then Australia’s Paul Kennedy and Thomas Clarke in the semi-finals set up another meeting against Australian opposition for gold in Kieran Modra and Jason Niblett.

A 2-0 victory gave Fachie and Mitchell a perfect end to their championships.

"It's been a really good week - a really tough week, as well - especially today in the sprint with the heat," said Fachie.

"But two gold medals and two world records - you can't ask for better than that."

In the women’s tandem sprint, Sophie Thornhill and pilot Rachel James continued their stunning form.

Like Fachie and Mitchell, they had set a new tandem kilo record and added a world-best time in their flying 200m lap, in 10.854 seconds.

Wins over Australia in the quarter-finals and New Zealand in the semi-finals guaranteed the pair another medal.

And a 2-0 triumph over Australia’s Brandie O’Connor and Breanna Hargrave completed a superb championships for Thornhill and James, who have been riding together for less than six months.

"I feel really emotional - there were a few issues at the end but it's done now," said Thornhill.

"Neither of us were well, so to think that we can race tired and ill, and still win is amazing."

Results

Women's C1-5 scratch race
Men's tandem sprint
Women's tandem sprint