GB medal rush at Cycling World Championship continues as Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl win gold in B individual pursuit

Updated 04/08/2023 at 20:25 GMT

The 2023 Cycling World Championships continued at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome on Friday evening when British duo Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl won gold in the women's B individual pursuit. Neil Fachie and Matthew Rotherham claimed the gold medal in the B 1km time trial event, with James Ball and Steffan Lloyd taking silver. There was also success for Jaco van Gass and Jody Cundy.

'What a steal!' - Fachie and Rotherham claim gold in men’s B 1km time trial

Great Britain continue to excel at the 2023 Cycling World Championships as Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl won gold in the women's B individual pursuit on Friday.

The duo timed their finish perfectly, finishing three seconds ahead of Britain's Lora Fachie and Corrine Hall, who added a silver.

Earlier, Lora's husband Fachie and Matthew Rotherham won the men’s B 1km time trial, with James Ball and Steffan Lloyd taking the silver medal.

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It had appeared that British success was not guaranteed in that event when Germany’s Thomas Ulbricht and Robert Forstemann put themselves into the lead, but they were displaced by both of the British entrants.

First, Ball and Lloyd usurped them as they were eight tenths of a second faster, but it was Fachie and Rotherham who took to the circuit for the final runout.

Fachie - boasting 16 world titles already - and his team-mate were just ahead on their first lap, and on the second lap they appeared to be slowing, which left the favourites in danger of a surprise defeat.

However they then bested the lead time by just four hundredths of a second giving Britain both gold and silver.

"What a steal!" exclaimed Carlton Kirby on Eurosport commentary.

"The crowd just have a huge inhale of breath, they were not expecting that switch. But they made it. Wow!"

Fachie won his first world crown back in 2009 in Manchester.

Their success comes in light of Jaco van Gass and Jody Cundy, both of whom also claimed gold medals.

Van Gass took victory in the men's C3 1km time trial, while Cundy clinched C4 1km time trial gold.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Van Gass said: "Both Finlay and the New Zealander [Devon Briggs] went quicker than this morning so I had to back things up.

"It was not easy. It was amazing to have this event with the able-bodied guys because we rarely get crowds like these and they really pushed me on in the last lap."

Cundy was the last to put down a time, and after moving within range in his first lap, the 44-year-old got closer in the second, and then put down a stunning third lap to move ahead of Michael Shipley by over a second.

It's Cundy's 14th consecutive rainbow jersey in the men C4 kilo time trial.

In the women's C2 individual pursuit, Daphne Schrager added to the medal tally with a silver medal, with Flurina Rigling winning for Switzerland.

Schrager told the BBC: "I've got a medal and I am happy with that. I'll learn from it and come back.

"I am bitterly disappointed but I will take that into next year. I wanted to try and back up my ride from qualifying which sadly wasn't the case. She (Flurina Rigling) was better on the day and you can't take that away from her. It is all part of the journey.

"I'm so excited for the road race and the time trial. I really hope I can pull it together for the time trial. It is only my second time in Scotland and everyone is behind you."

In the C1 500m time trial, there was another silver for Britain as Frances Brown took second spot, with Katie Toft in fourth, and China's Quian Wangwei taking gold.

Britain currently head the overall medal table from Germany.

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Stream the 2023 Cycling World Championships and Vuelta a Espana live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.com.

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