GB para-cyclists 'shaken up' after being mugged for medals in Rio

Three GB para-cyclists were mugged in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Wednesday following the first night of the Para-cycling Track World Championships. 

Two-time Paralympic gold medallist Neil Fachie revealed on X that he and fellow members of the tandem sprint team, including his wife Lora Fachie, had their silver medals stolen, among other possessions. 

"We were mugged tonight in Rio," Fachie wrote just after 11pm local time, "so sadly I’m not contactable by phone for a little while. We’re all okay, other than being shaken up. 

"Passports, cards, some cash and our silver medals were all stolen. A sad way to end the day."

In a statement shared with Cycling Weekly, British Cycling said: "[We] can confirm that three riders had their possessions stolen while returning to team accommodation after day one of the 2024 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio de Janeiro."

The national federation added that the three riders affected were Neil and Lora Fachie, as well as Lora's pilot, Corrine Hall. 

"The three riders are safe and well and are being supported by our staff both on the ground and at home," the statement continued. "We have raised the matter with the UCI, the local organising committee, and the police."

GB's tandem team sprint squad came second to Italy in the gold medal final on Wednesday night. 

This year's Para-Cycling Track World Championships, which run until Saturday 23 March, are the final qualifying event ahead of the summer’s Paris Paralympics. 

GB claimed two gold medals on Wednesday, thanks to Kadeena Cox in the C4 500m time trial, and Daphne Schrager in the C2 individual pursuit. 

"I’m happy to have defended my title," said Cox, who won her event for the third year running. "I haven’t had the best run in. It was good to still come out here and get the win, knowing that I've still got a good few months left before the big one in Paris."

Schrager, too, said she "wasn’t on [her] best form", but was "overjoyed" to take the world title. "To come back and be world champion again is everything," she said. "It’s every professional’s dream and to do it twice in a few years since I started is just amazing and will be cherished for the whole year."