PONTHIR cyclist James Ball struck gold at the Paralympics after finally getting the better of fellow Briton Neil Fachie in the Men’s B 1000m Time Trial in Paris, writes Andrew Penman.
The visually impaired star had to settle for silver in the kilo at the Tokyo 2020 games, in partnership with sighted pilot Lewis Stewart, narrowly missing out on the gold to Fachie and Matt Rotherham.
And he’s finished as runner-up to Scotland’s Fachie in each of the last three World Championships.
But the 33-year-old turned the tables when it mattered most to claim gold in the Paris 2024 velodrome with pilot Stefan Lloyd.
Ball and Lloyd qualified for the final with the second-quickest time in the preliminary round, completing the 1000m in 59.793 seconds.
And they bettered that in the final, clocking a time of 58.964 seconds to push Fachie and Rotherham onto the second step of the podium.
“I don’t know what to say, it’s unbelievable,” said Ball after he’d caught his breath.
“We were just waiting for our turn to go up and we knew we’d have to follow something big from Matt and Neil – that’s how it’s always gone.
“I think the last time I won the kilo was in 2019, we’ve just been chasing them.
“The longer the partnership, the more you gel and learn about each other, the faster the time.
“We tried to match them in the first, which is their strongest part, and we didn’t have – we’ve been working a long time on this, and finally it’s paid off!”
It was a dream Paralympic debut for Llandysul rider Lloyd, who paid tribute to Ball’s persistence.
“It’s unbelievable, and to do it with one of my best friends is amazing,” said the 25-year-old. “We’ve been together for two years now, we’ve done three world championships, and we’ve been so close every time.
“He’s never given up, he always gives 100 per cent, and there’s no one else who deserves it more. He’s such a great guy and I’m so happy that I helped him do this.”
The pair suffered disappointment in their first event on the track on Thursday when a 15th overall finish was not enough for to advance to the next stages of the men’s B 4000m individual pursuit.
But they more than made up for it yesterday and there were emotional scenes as they celebrated with friends and family after the race.
“It just makes everything worth it,” added Ball. “The people and the staff behind this at British Cycling, they want it just as much as we do even though they’re not competing. That’s something special.
“This is for everyone who’s ever believed in us, even my past pilots that I’ve been with – everyone.
We’ve always tried to do our best and finally it’s paid off. I couldn’t be happier.”
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