Fachie, who almost retired after Paris and only resumed training late last year, and pilot Pope, who he only linked up with in March, gave off the impression they have been working together for years, such was the quality of their ride.
Powering out the gate, the pair were quickest all the way, holding on bravely on an agonisingly painful last lap, which is always the way in this event. Stopping the clock at 1.00.162, remarkably just two tenths slower than the Games record Fachie set with Lewis Stewart four years ago, the pair knew they had a medal, but had to wait to find out what colour.
The Australians couldn’t better their time, so it was all eyes on Wales. Marginally up from the get-go, they started to fade in the closing stages, hitting the line in 1.00.546, so it was gold for Scotland; meaning Fachie would claim a historic sixth gold medal.
For Fachie, now Scotland’s most decorated Commonwealth athlete with his sixth gold, the reaction was overjoyed:
“It’s pretty special, I knew that gold was a possibility and you kind of dare to dream, but this is outrageous”
“I’ve had so much fun, it’s been such an incredible week so far. I was taken back to 2014 when I got the first one, you never envisage racing in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and doing it again!”
In the women’s team sprint, the trio of Maddy Silcock, Iona Moir and Lauren Bell produced a sensational ride to take bronze.
Taking on Australia in the battle for bronze, Maddy Silcock produced a brilliant opening lap to keep Scotland in the fight. Iona Moir wrestled back control in the second lap, as Highland Bell carried the home team across the line to claim Scotland’s first team sprint medal in 16 years.
An ecstatic Maddy Silcock said after the podium:
“Seeing everybody cheering for us, it’s just the most incredible thing. This is my home track but it looks a little bit different when there’s a big crowd!”
“I’m glad that us three could come together as quite a new team and really deliver a smooth ride and get a Scottish record”
The morning’s qualifying saw them break the Scottish record and qualify just ahead of their antipodean adversaries with a time of 47.451. Bettering the record set by Silcock, Moir and Team Scotland teammate Ellie Stone last December by over a second.
In the men’s event Niall Monks, Lyall Craig and Pete Mitchell also set a new Scottish best, but came up just 0.2 seconds short of a medal ride. However, their new Scottish national record of 44.347 – will give the trio great confidence heading into the individual sprint event which starts tomorrow.
The men’s team pursuit squad had the honour of opening Team Scotland’s cycling campaign with the quartet of Michael Gill, Logan Maclean, Elliot Rowe and Tim Shoreman setting a new national record of 3:56.866 in qualifying to finish fifth and also having the honour of being the first ever Scottish men’s team pursuit squad at a Commonwealth Games.