Three members of the British team were mugged of their silver medals and other possessions at the end of the opening day of the Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio.
Lora and Neil Fachie, 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.
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 okay, 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 matter with the relevant authorities.
“The three riders are safe and well and are being supported by our staff both on the round and at home,” British Cycling said in a statement.
“We have raised the matter with 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 in 2016 and Tokyo in 2016, the latter alongside Hall.
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