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.”
