Fachie announces Para-cycling retirement

Lora Fachie, the double Olympic cycling champion, has announced her retirement.

Fachie, 36, a visually impaired woman, has spent 15 years playing for the Great Britain team and has won seven medals and 15 world titles overall.

She and her husband, who is visually impaired, famously both won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

In the B 1, 000m time trial, first Neil and sighted pilot Matt Rotherham won, and Lora and her pilot Corrine Hall won the B 3km individual pursuit to defend their title from Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

She stopped competing in 2022 after giving birth to Fraser, but she did so again at the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow, where she shared a silver medal with Hall and took a break from the sport.

Fachie and Hall won three bronze medals at the Paris Paralympics, the first of which was won in the pursuit and the other of which was won in the time trial and road races.

“I’ve had such incredible experiences over the past 15 years, and I’m forever grateful to British Cycling for all the amazing opportunities I’ve had,” said Fachie, who received an MBE in 2017 and an OBE in 2022.

“I’ll treasure the memories I make along the way forever.”

I’m sad that my career is about to end, but I know I have plenty of exciting opportunities to take advantage of in the years to come.

By working for British Blind Sport and thereby hopefully enhancing the experiences of others with visual impairment in sport and leisure, I’m looking forward to giving back in some small way.

Director of British Cycling’s performance, Stephen Park, stated that “Lora has been a significant member of the squad for over 15 years, and what she has accomplished in that time is nothing short of remarkable.