Neil Fachie

Neil Fachie MBE (born 12 March 1984) is a British Paralympic multiple sports athlete competing in events for individuals with a visual impairment.[1] Fachie has entered two Paralympics, as a sprinter in the 2008 Games in Beijing and as a tandem cyclist in London 2012. In London he won the gold medal in the Men's individual 1 km time trial and silver in the individual sprint, both with Barney Storey as his sighted pilot.

Neil Fachie
Personal information
Full nameNeil Fachie
NationalityBritish
Born (1984-03-12) 12 March 1984
Aberdeen, Scotland
Sport
Country United Kingdom
SportAthletics
Cycling
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals2008
2012
Medal record
Men's para cycling
Representing  Great Britain
Paralympic Games
2012 LondonTandem B kilo
2012 LondonTandem B sprint
2016 Rio de JaneiroTandem B kilo
Track World Championships
2009 ManchesterTandem B kilo
2009 ManchesterTandem B sprint
2011 MontichiariTandem B kilo
2011 MontichiariTandem B sprint
2014 AguascalientesTandem B kilo
2014 AguascalientesTandem B sprint
2015 ApeldoornTandem B kilo
2015 ApeldoornTandem B sprint
2016 MontichiariTandem B kilo
2016 MontichiariTandem B sprint
2018 Rio de JaneiroTandem B kilo
2018 Rio de JaneiroTandem B sprint
2012 Los AngelesTandem B kilo
2017 Los AngelesTandem B kilo
2017 Los AngelesTandem B sprint
Representing  Scotland
Commonwealth Games
2014 GlasgowTandem B kilo
2014 GlasgowTandem B sprint
2018 Gold CoastTandem B kilo
2018 Gold CoastTandem B sprint

Career history

Fachie was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1984. Fachie, who has a congenital eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa, studied physics at Aberdeen University. There he took up athletics and at the age of 24 he qualified for the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, running in the 100m and 200m sprints.[2] After failing to take a podium place in either races in China, Fachie decided to change sports to cycling.

The strength Fachie had built up during his time as a sprinter was instrumental in impressing the Great Britain cycle coaches.[2] By September 2008 he was training with the GB Para-Cycling Team and was part of the team by April the following year.[2] In 2009 he entered the Para-Cycling Track World Championships, with Barney Storey as his pilot. The two took the Gold in both the Kilo and Sprint, setting a new world record in the Kilo. In 2011 Fachie travelled to Montichiari, Italy to compete in his second Para-Cycling Track World Championships. This time paired with Craig MacLean, he again achieved gold in both the Kilo and Sprint, setting a new world record in the Sprint.[2]

Fachie entered his third Para-Cycling Track World Championships, this time held in Los Angeles, USA. His pilot in America again was Storey, who would team up with Fachie at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. The pair took the silver in the Kilo. That year, in the Paralympics, Fachie and Storey competed in the Men's 1 km time trial for riders with a visual impairment. The pair set a world record time of 1:01.351, and after team mates and main rivals Anthony Kappes and Craig MacLean suffered a mechanical failure, took the gold medal.[3]

Fachie was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to para-cycling.[4][5] In June 2013, he was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Aberdeen by the Duchess of Rothesay.[6]

Fachie teamed up with Pete Mitchell for the 2014 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The pair won the gold medal in the tandem 1km time trial, and broke the world record set by Fachie and Storey at the 2012 Paralympics by setting a time of 59.460 seconds, becoming the first tandem pairing to clock a sub-minute time for the kilo time trial.[7] They subsequently won a second gold in the tandem sprint.[8]

Fachie reunited with Craig MacLean for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where the pairing won double gold in the kilo time trial and sprint B tandem.[9][10]

Fachie, piloted by Mark Rotherham, successfully defended his kilo time trial and sprint B tandem titles at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia. In doing so he equaled the record for the most number of Commonwealth Gold medals. He shares the record of 4 golds with sprinter Allan Wells and lawn bowler Alex Marshall. [11]

See also
  • 2012 Olympics gold post boxes in the United Kingdom

References
  1. "Neil Fachie". paralympics.org.uk. Archived from the original on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  2. "Neil Fachie". Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  3. "Paralympics 2012: Fachie & Storey win tandem gold". BBC Sport. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  4. "No. 60367". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 24.
  5. "NY13-London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games" (PDF). gov.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  6. "HRH The Duchess of Rothesay joins University 'family'". University of Aberdeen.
  7. McDaid, David (12 April 2014). "Para-cycling Track Championships 2014: GB win two gold medals". BBC. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  8. McDaid, David (14 April 2014). "Para-cycling Track Championships 2014: Storey wins second gold". BBC. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  9. "Glasgow 2014: Fachie & Maclean land cycling gold for Scotland". BBC. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  10. "Glasgow 2014: Second gold for Neil Fachie and Craig Maclean". BBC. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  11. "Commonwealth Games: Scot Neil Fachie wins historic fourth gold". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
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