Three members of the British para-cycling track team were robbed of their silver medals and other possessions in a mugging after the opening day of the world championships in Rio de Janeiro.
Lora and Neil Fachie, who are both double Paralympic champions, and pilot Corinne Hall were left shaken but otherwise unharmed by the incident, which occurred as they made their way back to their accommodation in the Brazilian city.
Neil Fachie posted on X: “We were mugged tonight in Rio, so sadly I’m not contactable by phone for a little while. We’re all OK, other than being shaken up. Passports, cards, some cash and our silver medals were all stolen. A sad way to end the day.”
The husband-and-wife team had won silver medals alongside pilots Hall and Matt Rotherham in the tandem team sprint behind Italy on Wednesday. British Cycling, which has a 29-strong team competing at the event, said it was supporting the affected athletes and had raised the matter with the relevant authorities.
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“The three riders are safe and well and are being supported by our staff both on the ground and at home,” British Cycling said in a statement. “We have raised the matter with [world cycling’s governing body] the UCI, the local organising committee and the police.”
Neil Fachie won men’s tandem gold at the 2012 and 2020 Paralympics, while Lora Fachie won the individual pursuit titles in Rio and Tokyo, the latter alongside Hall. The couple, who are both visually impaired, won gold medals and set new world records within an hour of each other at the Tokyo Games in 2021.