Neil Fachie believes he can get a piece of the action as world records tumbled on the opening day of Paralympic action at the velodrome.

Fachie and sighted pilot Matt Rotherham have a laser focus on victory in Sunday’s kilo time trial.

But Games rules dictate that each rider must compete in two events and the pair rolled around the track to finish 13th in the 4000m individual pursuit, lapping up a raucous atmosphere.

“It was essentially a glorified training session, but you might as well enjoy it,” said Fachie.

“We wanted to get a feel for the velodrome in race mode on day one and getting a full-blooded start in the bank gives us confidence that we can do it when it really matters.”

All of these technicalities will be lost on Fachie’s one-year-old son Fraser, who got to cheer on his Dad at the Paralympics for the very first time with mum Lora also competing at her fourth Games. 

“He's probably louder than anyone else in the crowd,” said Fachie. “He loves his own voice!

"I feel I've got something extra in my corner, the fact I want to win for him that a lot of my rivals don't have.

"In that last lap, when everyone's legs are full of lactic acid and you're hanging on for dear life, I think about making him proud and it’s amazing how you find that extra something.

"If I get the win, it'll be because of him, without a doubt."

The track at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is one of the fastest in the world, producing a spate of world records at the Olympics and the Paralympics are already delivering on that score.

Three fell at the hands of ParalympicsGB on day one, with the tandem pair of Steve Bate and Chris Latham and individual pursuiter Daphne Schrager setting new world bests on the way to silver medals.

Three years ago in Tokyo, Fachie and Rotherham took the kilo to unfathomable heights by clocking 58.038 to win gold.

That mark has looked untouchable in the last two years and the British duo have won the last two world titles with times more than two seconds slower.

It seems that a rapid first day has changed Fachie’s mind when it comes to what it will take to win, with team-mates James Ball and Steffan Lloyd expected to give him a run for his money.

“Two weeks ago, I would have said that no one is getting near that world record,” said Fachie.

“But it’s fast here, and we have suddenly found the form. If not a world record, it’s going to take something close to it and certainly in the 58s.

“This is the first time we have a qualifying round for the kilo at the Paralympics, so there was an element of testing things out to see what that might look like.

"My biggest fear is my teammates because every day I see what they do. I know they're going well, whereas (with) the other nations you're not sure until you get here.

“We want to make sure on race day that we’ve got as much as we can for the final because ultimately, we’re here to win a gold medal and we’re looking forward to it.”

Every single member of the ParalympicsGB cycling squad returned from Tokyo 2020 with a medal and everything points towards a similarly dominant display this time around.

Schrager started out as a 100m sprinter and competed in athletics at the Commonwealth Games.

But having fallen out of love with the sport, she switched to cycling and now has a Paralympic silver to her name. 

“I wasn’t even allowed to ride a bike as a kid,” said Schrager, who has cerebral palsy.

“They thought I’d just fall off and plough into a tree.

“I’ve started from scratch, and it has been a right journey. The improvement I have made on the programme has been amazing and I’m so lucky to be one of the people on National Lottery funding.”

Schrager’s medal was the first won by ParalympicsGB in Paris and it was presented to her by iconic film star Jackie Chan, a special ambassador for the International Paralympic Committee.

The second silver came courtesy of Bate and Latham, who were outgunned by Tristan Bangma and Patrick Bos of the Netherlands in the final. 

This was a fifth Paralympic medal for Bate, 47, who came close to retirement in 2022. 

"The medal represents nine months of hard graft and a massive team effort," said Bate. "It's disappointing for those guys in the team. I'm proud of the silver but I wanted to do it for those guys who have stood behind us and put this ride together for us."

The only real fly in the ointment came as Kadeena Cox crashed out of the Paralympic time trial.

The reigning champion looked strong in qualification but slipped at the start of the final and with the right side of her body impacted by multiple sclerosis, veered violently onto the cote d’azur to crash on the first turn.

Under UCI rules, only a mechanical issue could have seen her granted a restart and Dutch rider Caroline Groot was left to take the Brit’s title.

Cox said: "I didn't feel comfortable in the gate and with a condition like mine, riding can't always be perfect. I overcompensated and was all over the shop. It has been a rollercoaster, but I guess that's MS."

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