England and Scotland's para-cyclists topped the podiums on the opening day of the track cycling at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Matching their results for the Great Britain Cycling Team at the recent world championships, the duos of England's Sophie Thornhill and Helen Scott and Scotland's Neil Fachie and Matt Rotherham won gold medals at the Anna Meares Velodrome on the Gold Coast.
Terrific tandems
Thornhill and Scott smashed their recently set sprint world record in qualifying, posting a sensational new time of 10.609 over 200m.
Scotland’s Aileen McGlynn and Louise Haston finished third in the qualifiers creating an early Ashes battle on the boards.
The world sprint champions were comfortable throughout the final - securing another major honour with ease by winning 2-0.
Scotland’s Neil Fachie and Matt Rotherham took the men’s B 1km time trial gold - just pipping their Great Britain Cycling Team colleagues, Team Wales’ James Ball and Pete Mitchell.
The Scots knew they had to go quick to take the title, after Ball and Mitchell set a time of 1:00.900.
Buoyed by their recent world championships success, Fachie and Rotherham went round in 1:00.065 to head to the top of the podium once more and claim a Commonwealth Games record.
England’s Kian Emadi, Ethan Hayter, Charlie Tanfield and Ollie Wood took silver in the men’s team pursuit as Australia claimed a gold in a sensational time.
The hosts became the first ever team pursuit lineup to go faster than 3:50, crossing the line in 3:49.804 - breaking the world record set in Rio two years ago by the British quartet of Sir Bradley Wiggins, Owain Doull, Steven Burke and Ed Clancy.
Wales missed out a bronze, beaten by Canada - who also prevailed over England in the bronze medal ride in the women’s team pursuit.
The English trio of Phil Hindes, Ryan Owens and Joe Truman won team sprint silver - matching their result at the recent world championships for the Great Britain Cycling Team - as New Zealand took the gold.
Katy Marchant and Lauren Bate won bronze in the women’s team sprint for England - beating Welsh duo Rachel James and Ellie Coster.
