Ball sets up another duel for gold with Fachie

Sat, August 1, 2026 at 12:16 PM UTC

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Welsh Para-cyclist James Ball is guaranteed a silver and will race for a gold medal in the men's tandem B sprint final with pilot Matthew Rotherham later today.

Ball qualified third fastest this morning but needed just two of the three semi-final races to seal victory over Australian Kane Perris.

He will once again take on rival Neil Fachie in the final after the Scot claimed gold in Thursday's time trial, with the Welshman in second.

The 35-year-old will be hoping for a repeat of the 2022 final, where he defeated Fachie to claim his first Commonwealth gold.

"He'll get a massive boost from the crowd," Ball said of Fachie.

"It's inevitable really and I don't blame him. They are going to be fighting for it but we're going to fight right back."

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Elsewhere, all three Welshmen, Rhys Britton, William Perrett and William Roberts, qualified for tonight's men's 10km scratch race final.

Medal hopeful Britton said: "I find the qualifiers a lot more nerve-wracking than the final.

"I'd love to get a medal and it's something that's pretty possible as long as we do everything right.

"It would mean the world, it's a lifelong dream. Representing Wales is the pinnacle, I've dreamed of it since I was a kid."

In the men's sprint, Ioan Hepburn, Steffan Lloyd and Jonah Jenkins finished 11th, 15th and 19th respectively, though Hepburn was pleased to set a new British junior record in qualifying.

"I'm absolutely over the moon," he said. "It's been a goal of mine for a good couple of years and to break that with a crowd like this is absolutely incredible."

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Source: “AOL Sports”