Opening night cycling joy for Wales in Velodrome

ByGareth Griffiths

BBC Sport Wales

Wales' track cycling opening night had a bit of everything at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

Delight, comebacks and a little bit of despair to conclude.

Wales made the ultimate start to the track cycling campaign with a clean sweep of medals on the opening night of action at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

It was a day involving golden girls delivering sprint success, a medal for a returning cyclist, while her husband not given the chance to join her on the podium because one of his team-mates failed to make the start line.

Emma Finucane, Lowri Thomas and Rhian Edmunds won gold in the women's team sprint after Para-cyclist James Ball and his guide Matt Rotherham claimed silver.

Ciara Oliva helped the women's team pursuit team win bronze after coming out of retirement.

But her husband Lewis, who had also got back on the bike competitively, did not have the same opportunity after sprint team-mate Ioan Hepburn was forced to make a late withdrawal because of illness for a bronze medal race, despite making the start line.

Former Olympic silver sprint medallist Becky North and her Wales rugby legend husband George were among the Welsh crowd in attendance at the velodrome named after one of their friends.

James was a world-class sprinter in her day and Olympic champion Finucane is certainly following in her footsteps.

The trio set out their stall in the morning qualifying session by recording the fastest time and setting a new Commonwealth Games record.

It set up a battle of Britain against England trio of Katy Marchant, Sophia Capewell and Rhianna Parris-Smith and the final did not disappoint.

After Thomas led out, Finucane was installed on the second leg and responded with a trademark power turn before Edmunds held on for victory.

"Today's been insane," said Finucane.

"To qualify first was pretty nerve-wracking. We went out there and showed what we could do, but to back it up in that final, knowing we were against the strong English side was great.

"We rode our hearts out. Riding in the Welsh colours gives you that extra boost and there were so many flags in the crowd.

"When we crossed that line first, it was unbelievable."

Finucane has three events later this week scheduled. She appears to be in fine form.

Watching the girls beaming on the podium during the anthem and the support staff and other riders, shown on the big screen, belting out the words was a special sight for the golden trio.

"We stood on that top step with your team-mates singing the anthem, it's something we've all dreamed of," said Finucane.

"It is the first time I sang the anthem on that top step and the two girls were by my side belting it out.

"We also saw all my team-mates in front of us singing it with us.

"Rhian says it takes a village to do what we do. We have so many people behind the scenes you don't see on the track.

"We certainly felt that today, standing on that top step."

Just as he did in Birmingham four years ago, Ball had got, well, the ball rolling,

He competes in tandem races as an athlete with a visual impairment and is a multiple world champion across the tandem sprint events, also winning a gold at the 2024 Paralympics in the tandem B kilo alongside his pilot Steffan Lloyd.

In 2022, he was Team Wales' first Commonwealth medallist and first gold medallist This time Ball delivered the first cycling podium position in the men's B tandem 1,000m time trial.

Ball and Rotherham matched the silver they won in Birmingham with great rival Neil Fachie from Scotland taking the gold.

It was a third successive Commonwealth Games second place in this event for Ball.

"It is special to equal to what we did in Birmingham four years ago," said Ball.

"We have to be proud of what we've done. We gave it everything on the track and I was on the floor for 20 minutes afterwards."

Fachie effectively came out of retirement for this event and now has six Commonwealth Games golds and one silver to his name.

The rivalry between Fachie and Ball is long-standing with Rotherham having been the pilot for both men.

Fachie won gold in this event four years ago, while the results were reversed in the tandem sprint.

So Ball and Rotherham will have a chance to defend their sprint title on Saturday.

Rotherham, who hails from Bolton, said: "I spent three days learning the Welsh national anthem and I'm gutted I didn't get to sing it today.

"Hopefully we will do on Saturday."

Not long after those exploits, Oliva celebrated coming out of retirement as part of the team pursuit bronze-medal winning squad.

Oliva, 36, rode with Megan Barker, Jessica Roberts and Anna Morris at her third Games and finished on the podium by beating England in the race for third place.

Wales had qualified third fastest in a time in the morning session and later defeated England's Josie Knight, Grace Lister, Madelaine Leech and Abigail Miller in the afternoon programme.

Oliva had initially finished competitive cycling after the 2018 Gold Coast games following a career where she won World and European Championship medals and was the unused Team GB rider at the 2016 Olympics in the squad that won gold.

After having her three children with her cycling husband Lewis, both riders decided to return to the track for the Glasgow game. The family were there to watch Mummy win a medal.

"It means everything, the whole comeback was worthwhile and it means so much to me and to my family," said Ciara.

"To be riding alongside these girls is the biggest honour, they're absolutely awesome, it's just amazing."

Oliva gave her husband a little kiss after her race while he was warming up on the bike for his chance at a podium position.

But it was not to be. Oliva was due to compete in the men's bronze medal sprint race, alongside Steffan Lloyd and Hepburn.

The men's trio could not compete because Hepburn was feeling ill. He initially made to the start line but pulled out after receiving medical advice.

Oliva and Lloyd were on the start line when the final decision was made, Trinidad and Tobago were awarded the bronze and Hepburn left the arena distraught.

It shows how cruel professional sport can be.

The men's team pursuit quartet of Rhys Britton, Rory Gravelle, William Roberts and William Salter might have also just failed to reach the podium after losing the bronze medal race against New Zealand.

But the Wales track cycling squad will mostly be delighted with the start of this Commonwealth campaign.

With more medals on the horizon in the next three days.