Sophie Unwin receives apology but will still not be given a bronze medal

England para-cyclist Sophie Unwin has received an apology from the Commonwealth Games but will still not receive a bronze medal for finishing third in Friday’s women’s tandem B sprint.

Unwin was left in tears after she and pilot Georgia Holt beat Scotland’s former Paralympic runner Libby Clegg, piloted by Jenny Holl, only to learn they would not receive a medal under competition rules because only four teams had taken part.

The race had been billed as a bronze medal race, and Unwin initially appeared on official results as a medal winner.

The pair tried to stand behind the podium ceremony with an England flag before being moved by a member of security staff.

Later, they borrowed bronze medals from the women’s team pursuit squad to have their own unofficial podium photo shoot – actions which earned them and England team manager Keith Reynolds fines of 200 Swiss francs (£172) from cycling’s governing body the UCI.

Team England made representations to the Commonwealth Games Federation on the matter, which was discussed at a meeting on Saturday morning, but there will be no change to the decision.

A CGF spokesperson said: “In the small number of cases where there are fewer than five entries in a Commonwealth Games event, the CGF applies a medal allocation policy to maintain the integrity of competition.

“The policy – which was published in January this year – states that only gold and silver medals are awarded where there are only four contestants; and only gold medals where there are only three or two contestants.

“Unfortunately, while the athletes in the women’s tandem B sprint event were informed of this before the race, the scoreboard and results sheet incorrectly indicated that it was a bronze medal race. We apologise