Commonwealth Games: Scotland's 'gutted' Fin Graham settles for silver

Fin Graham could not kid anyone. He did not come for silver on Sunday. The 26-year-old Scottish Para-cyclist had upgraded from Friday's bronze medal in the men's C1-C3 1000m time trial final, but his sights were firmly set on gold in the C1-C3 3km individual pursuit final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. When England's Matthew Robertson's name was announced as champion, Graham had to settle for the silver medal and watch his dream of hearing Flower of Scotland ring around the velodrome slip away.

Robertson's Record-Breaking Victory

Matthew Robertson broke the Commonwealth Games record for a second time to claim gold in the men's C1-C3 3000m individual pursuit. The England cyclist had already set the record in the morning qualification session, only for Graham to break it and set up an intriguing gold-medal contest for the afternoon. However, Robertson proved too strong under pressure. In the afternoon racing, Robertson beat his previous time and set a new record time of three minutes and 22.597 seconds. Graham went out hard to try and rival Robertson's pace, but his energy sapped as the race progressed, and the England rider claimed the gold medal. Robertson afterwards reflected on his unexpected success. "It was not something I expected but I'm really happy with the run and the ride I did," he told BBC Sport. "A medal in this event which is my focus was the goal and I knew that was possible. I didn't expect to go into the final and then when I was into the final I know I am one of those riders that goes quicker in the second ride and I could put the pressure on."

Dreams of Home Glory

For Graham, the disappointment was palpable. This was the event he had circled in his calendar — a chance to win gold on home soil and hear his nation's anthem sung in celebration. "I'd be lying if I said gold wasn't what I wanted," Graham told BBC Sport Scotland after being presented with his second medal of these Games. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear the national anthem here in Scotland so I'd be lying if I said I was not gutted." Yet despite his obvious disappointment, the Para-cyclist demonstrated composure and understanding of the broader demands placed on elite athletes. "As athletes we've got hurdles to get over and goalposts do change for whatever reason," he said. "But the decision was made you can't dwell on it."

The Format Dispute

What Graham was referring to was the manner in which the event had been staged — a decision that had clearly troubled the Scottish rider throughout the week. Graham had prepared expecting to race head-to-head against an opponent in an individual pursuit format, with the two cyclists battling it out on the track simultaneously. Instead, riders competed in a time trial against the clock, with each competitor riding alone around the track. Earlier in the week Graham had shared his confusion and anger about what he felt was a late change to the format. However, it emerged that a long-standing policy by the UCI — cycling's governing body — dictates that when riders are competing across classifications as they were in this event, a time trial is run instead to avoid big mismatches between different ability levels. Yet Graham still felt aggrieved by the decision. "As racers we want to be racing someone else on the track," he said. "For one reason or another they've changed that at the start of the week. I think the crowd as well, it's better for them to see a race but for some reason they've made the decision not to have that."

Backing Robertson Despite Disappointment

Despite his frustration with the format, Graham showed sporting spirit in acknowledging Robertson's superior performance on the day. "We've done all we can do but it wasn't quite enough to take the gold today," he said. "Matt raced a good ride to take it. I just didn't quite have the legs to do that." For Graham, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow still yielded two medals — the bronze from Friday's time trial and this silver from the pursuit final — but the gold medal that he had so desperately wanted would have to wait.