Fachie announces Para-cycling retirement
Double Paralympic cycling champion Lora Fachie has announced her retirement from the sport.Fachie, 36, who is visually impaired, has been part of the Great Britain team for 15 years and competed at four Paralympics, winning seven medals and also claiming 15 world medals over her career.At the Tokyo Games in 2021 she and husband Neil, who is also visually impaired, famously both won gold in their respective events within the space of an hour.First Neil and sighted pilot Matt Rotherham claimed victory in the B 1,000m time trial before Lora and her pilot Corrine Hall won the B 3km individual pursuit to retain the title they won in Rio in 2016.She took a break from the sport in 2022 to have son Fraser but returned to the saddle at the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow, just eight months after giving birth, where she won a silver medal on the track with Hall.At the Paris Paralympics Fachie and Hall came away with three bronze medals - the first on the track in the pursuit, followed by the same result in the time trial and road races. "I've been on an incredible journey these past 15 years and I'm eternally grateful to British Cycling for giving me so many amazing opportunities," said Fachie, who was awarded an MBE in 2017 and an OBE in 2022."The memories I've made along the way I will treasure for ever."Although I'm sad to be ending my career at this point, I know I've got a lot of exciting opportunities to embrace in the years to come. "I am looking forward to giving back to sport in a small way by working for British Blind Sport and hopefully improving the experiences of others with a visual impairment within sport and leisure."British Cycling performance director Stephen Park added: "Lora has been a key member of the squad for over 15 years and what she has achieved in that time is nothing short of remarkable."Lora is incredibly determined and tenacious and these qualities have defined her whole career and she will go down in the history books as one of Britain's best Paralympians."
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