Para-cyclist Ball claims silver in Glasgow

Welsh Para-cyclist James Ball claimed silver in the Commonwealth Games men's tandem 1,000m time trial in Glasgow.

Ball, alongside his pilot Matt Rotherham, matched the silver he won in Birmingham four years ago with great rival Neil Fachie from Scotland taking the gold.

It was a third successive Commonwealth Games second place in this event for Ball.

"It is pretty special to equal to what we did in Birmingham four years ago," said Ball.

"We have to be proud of what we've done today. We gave it everything on the track and I was on the floor for 20 minutes afterwards."

Fachie had effectively come out of retirement for this event and now has six Commonwealth Games golds and one silver to his name.

Ball, from Ponthir, had won Wales' first medal and first gold medal in Birmingham four years ago.

He competes in tandem races as an athlete with a visual impairment and is a multiple world champion across the tandem sprint events, also winning a gold at the 2024 Paralympics in the tandem B kilo alongside his pilot Steffan Lloyd.

The rivalry between Fachie and Ball is long-standing. Fachie won gold in this event four years ago, while the results were reversed in the tandem sprint.

Fachie beat Ball to Paralympic gold in the delayed 2020 games that were held in 2021 in Tokyo. Rotherham was Fachie's pilot that day.

Ball and Rotherham will have a chance to defend their sprint title on Saturday.

Rotherham, who hails from Bolton, said: "I spent three days learning the Welsh national anthem and I'm gutted I didn't get to sing it today.

"Hopefully we will do on Saturday."

Wales now have 16 medals with two gold, six silver and eight bronze.