By Gareth James
Welsh 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.
The visually impaired star from Newport 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.
24 HOUR GOLD RUSH!! A THIRD GOLD for Welsh athletes out at the Paris #Paralympics!!! 🏴
James Ball wins a 🥇 in the cycling with his pilot cyclist Steffan Lloyd from Llandysul (another west Wales boy!)
That’s 3 golds for Welsh athletes!! pic.twitter.com/w1biQuZ7Yk
— Peter Gillibrand (@GillibrandPeter) September 1, 2024
Ball stormed to victory alongside pilot Lloyd and dethroned team-mate and Tokyo 2020 winner Neil Fachie in a time of 58.964s.
It was an emphatic victory for the 33-year-old as he ended a long wait for a gold medal.
“I’ve been waiting for a medal like that since 2016 and to have my friends and family here to celebrate with is outrageous,” he said.
“We knew we had our work cut out for us, in 2020 Neil went 1.5 seconds faster than us which in the kilo is a lot. We knew what we had to beat and the adrenaline was there.
“The last time we won the kilo was 2019, we’ve just been chasing them. Our partnership has had time to gel. We have been trying to match them in the first 500m, that’s what we didn’t have.
“We have been working for this a long time and it has paid off today.
“It makes everything worth it. The staff behind what we do want it just as much as we do, which is something special. This is for everyone who has ever believed in us.”
GOLD for @jamesball_91 and Steffan Lloyd!
Your new Paralympic Champions.#ParalympicsGB pic.twitter.com/BQaDs61342
— ParalympicsGB (@ParalympicsGB) September 1, 2024
Lloyd said: “To do this with one of my best friends is unbelievable.
“We have been doing this for two years now, we’ve been so close every single time and he has never given up.
“There is no-one who deserves it more, he’s such a great guy. I’m so happy I helped him do this.”
James Ball and Stef Lloyd's gold rush! 🥇💨#Paris2024 #Paralympics #IAmLimitless pic.twitter.com/XOubUUlfkt
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) September 1, 2024