GB clinch three golds in last day of track cycling

Sophie Unwin (left) and Jenny Holl celebrate with fans after winning gold in Paris

Great Britain won five medals, including three golds, on the final day of track cycling at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

The mixed team sprint, featuring the trio of Kadeena Cox, Jaco van Gass and Jody Cundy, qualified quickest for the final before thrashing Spain in the medal race.

Earlier, James Ball beat team-mate Neil Fachie to gold in the men's B 1000m time trial, with Ball having finished second to the Scot in Tokyo three years ago.

Then in the women's B 3000m pursuit, Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl took gold after beating Irish pair Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal in the final, having already set a new world record in qualifying.

Unwin and Holl produced a stellar display, having trailed the Irish duo by more than a second after 2,000 metres - only to storm the final kilometre and win by over two seconds.

"We knew they were going to be [ahead of us]," said Holl after winning gold. "In the qualifying they were ahead of us until 2,000m, but we knew we have got that fitness."

Their gold came after Lora Fachie and pilot Corrine Hall defeated team-mates Lizzi Jordan and her guide Dannielle Khan in the bronze-medal race, as GB enjoyed another hefty medal haul on day four in the velodrome.

Their three golds arrived in the space of 75 minutes on Sunday afternoon, and took GB top of the track cycling medal table with five golds and 14 in total.

Redemption for Cox as Cundy continues streak

Having triumphed at the previous Games in Tokyo, the mixed team sprint trio of Cox, Van Gass and Cundy retained their title in style in Paris.

A flawless showing meant they beat Spain by 1.8 seconds, as Australia defeated hosts France for bronze.

For each British rider, this gold meant a differing goal was achieved after contrasting Paralympic experiences to this point in the French capital.

Cox had missed out on the first gold of the Games when she crashed on the first corner of the C4-5 500m time trial on Thursday, having made a bad start, then slipping while trying to correct herself.

The 33-year-old struggled with a calf injury, an eating disorder and a relapse in her multiple sclerosis in the build-up to this event, but overcame all that - plus her Thursday mishap - to claim a fifth Paralympic gold.

Cox admitted she had struggled badly with her mental health after the incident and was nearly crying before going to the start line, but was helped through it by her sprint team-mates.

"I was trying not to tear up before I was on the start line because I was scared," she said. "I didn't want to let myself down, it was just the fear of having another wobble.

"I have them in training all the time, doing one in training is something you do not want to do. Being able to overcome that and go better in the final, I'll give myself a pat on the back.

"These guys have been great cheerleaders, they have given me such encouragement, it's great to have team-mates constantly checking on you, giving you encouragement, reminding you that you are capable. We're a great team in general, I wouldn't have even got on track if it weren't for these two."

Cundy added: "I just told her, you've done this hundreds of times, just ride it, Jaco and me will be beside you. Get away from us and we will chase you down."

The 45-year-old Cundy has now won a medal in every Games he has participated in - going back to 1996 in Atlanta - and is now a 13-time Paralympic medallist, having also starred in swimming before switching to cycling.

"I still love the sport, am capable of being at the top end and doing the training I need to," he said. "For now, being stood on the podium is like nothing else and it brings me back each time.

"In November it will be 30 years representing GB and I still want to keep going. We'll take it year by year."

Meanwhile, Van Gass, 38, claimed his second gold in Paris after he retained the men’s C3 3000m individual pursuit on Friday - just a week after being hit by a car on a training ride which put his participation in doubt.

Ball overhauls Fachie in British one-two

James Ball (left) and pilot Steffan Lloyd got the British medal train started on Sunday

Fachie was Paralympic champion at Tokyo 2020 and is the reigning world champion and record holder, but he and guide Matthew Rotherham were not overly impressive in qualifying and only fourth fastest.

They needed major improvement in the final and were clearly pumped up to do so - Rotherham shouting and slapping his thighs as he entered the track - and they produced a much quicker run in the final of 59.312 seconds.

But they were overhauled by Ball and his pilot Steffan Lloyd, who started slower in the finaland trailed their team-mates by half a second after 125m, but gradually reeled in Fachie and Rotherham with a time of 58.964s.

And when German pair Thomas Ulbricht and Robert Foerstemann - who had qualified quickest - could only come third in the final, it sealed a British one-two.

"It's unbelievable," said Welshman Ball, 33. "Waiting for your turn to go up, we knew we'd have to follow something big from Matt and Neil, that's how it's always gone.

"Our partnership has had time to gel, we have been trying to match them in the first 500m, that's what we didn't have [before]. We have been working for this a long time and it has paid off today."

Unwin and Holl followed Ball's gold by confirming their ascension to the top of their discipline, having also become world champions in 2023.

Lora Fachie was aiming for her third successive Paralympic title, but was comprehensively overhauled by Unwin, who also beat her world record in qualifying by nearly two seconds.

"This was the event we wanted, we set out the goal after the World Championships last year," said Unwin, 30.

"We said pursuit is what we want. We tried something totally new coming into this, we weren't sure it was going to work out for us. It's just incredible."

Holl, 24, added: "It feels so good, this is the one we have worked three years for, what it is all about.

"Every training session, every meeting, it is for Paris, about Paris, and we are so glad we could pull it off on the day.

"I burst into tears as I ran up to my parents. It matters so much to have so many family and friends here."