Scotland, Neil Fachie seal ‘dramatic’ tandem sprint gold after crash as Sir Chris Hoy salutes ‘incredible’ win
Updated 02/08/2026 at 08:59 GMT+1
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Neil Fachie won an historic seventh Commonwealth Games medal in dramatic fashion as Scotland beat Wales in a tense men's tandem B sprint final, which required a rerun after the two bikes crashed during the first attempt.
‘What can you say?’ – Fachie inspires Scotland to dramatic gold despite crash
Video credit: TNT Sports
Fachie and his pilot Aaron Pope came off worse in the clash of wheels, falling to the ground and getting some bumps and bruises in the process.
But the duo dusted themselves off and performed superbly in the rerun, keeping Wales' James Ball and Matt Rotherham at bay in a neck-and-neck finish.
Fachie, 42, came out of retirement to compete at the Games in Glasgow, and he delivered with another memorable gold in front of a delighted crowd.
"All the talk lately has been that on these tandem sprints nowadays you have to be at the front to win it," Fachie told TNT Sports after the race.
"I've not been training full-time and these repeated efforts are so hard. I got knocked off the bike and the adrenaline rush was immense, and I don't know if we'd have won without that.
"It's also amazing how little cuts and bruises hurt in the moment and then come and get you later.
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Hoy breaks down ‘pretty terrifying’ Scotland crash in tandem sprint final
Video credit: TNT Sports
"Amazing as my last ever race and a pretty dramatic one to finish on. So special, this crowd is immense. What a privilege to be riding here. My God, it's something else."
Wales came agonisingly to spoiling the party, but the glory was Scotland's.
"They've done it!" said Rob Hatch on TNT Sports and HBO Max commentary. "Of course they have. It had to happen. It's Neil Fachie, it's another title.
"It doesn't matter if they crash, it doesn't matter if they're battered. They are bruised, hurt, down, but not out. Neil Fachie in dreamland, at home in Scotland."
"What can you say about that ride?" added Lewis Stewart on co-commentary. "Everything thrown against them.
"The Welsh rode that fantastically, but the power, the speed from Aaron Pope and Neil Fachie, especially in that second 100 towards the line, they fought every single rev, they could feel the crowd.
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"The crowd's the loudest we've heard it all week so far and Neil Fachie's soaking it in."
TNT Sports' experts Adam Blythe and Sir Chris Hoy also gave their thoughts on one of the Games' most remarkable moments.
"That was incredible," said Blythe. "That was probably one of the best events I've watched on this track yet."
"It was fantastic," said Hoy. "It was all down to who was at the front after lap one. You could see both tandems wanted to get that pole position.
"To be fair to the Welsh, they didn't go down without a fight. Rotherham and Ball had to create the gap and gain height and therefore they really launched with speed.
"They came at them with a lap to go, but on the outside you have to go around and it was half a bike length in the end.
"To have that tumble - it wasn't high speed, they wouldn't have really hurt themselves - but that can often really put you off mentally and they bounced back."
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