Fin Graham says winning his 10th world title has given him confidence that he is still in a good place in his cycling career.

The Strathpeffer para-athlete claimed gold in the MC3 Scratch Race at the UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships in The Netherlands last weekend.

It was one of five medals the 27-year-old claimed in Apeldoorn which included two silver medals in the team sprint and elimination race and two bronze medals in the sprint and 1km time trial.

Becoming world champion in the MC3 Scratch Race rounded the year off on a high for Graham, who said it was good to bounce back from what he saw as a disappointing Commonwealth Games in the summer.

In Glasgow, Graham claimed silver and bronze but missed out on winning gold for Scotland which he said was his main aim for the year.

However, winning gold at the World Championships has boosted his confidence of achieving more success in the future as he looks ahead to 2027 and the Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

He said: “This year has been a tough one as the main goal was to win gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

“I put so much time and effort into one event, as the other races during the season didn’t cross my mind as I was so focused on the Commonwealth Games.

“It is the first time that I have gone to an event and not come away with what I was after.

“It was hard to stay on it after that, I went to America where my head wasn’t in it which showed with the results.

“The goal was the Commonwealth Games and that is what I was after. I went to America where I didn’t put pressure on myself and not really thinking about the racing and just enjoying myself while I was there.

“If you are not going how you want to go, it can get hard quickly. But to come away with a world title at the end of the year was a nice way to round it off.

“It is nice to be back winning again.”

In the MC3 Scratch Race, Graham, who was born with bilateral talipes, commonly known as club feet, led for the opening laps of the 10km event, shadowed closely by the man who had won every men’s C3 race up to that point at the World Championship, Devon Briggs from New Zealand.

But Graham had enough in reserve to hold onto the win, with Briggs finishing second and Jacob Smith of Great Britain taking third.

Speaking about his victory, he said: “This was my first win of the year. You don’t take it for granted, but you can get used to it when you are winning loads. This year, I have not won any world cup events, so this has been an off year. I want to win everything I am doing and not done that has been hard. But to get my 10th world title has made it special.”

Graham’s season is now over as he takes a break before looking ahead to 2027 and put himself in a good place for selection for the 2028 Paralympic Games.

He said that this year has been a learning curve, but his victory at the world championship gives him confidence he is still at the top of his game.

He said: “My motivation has been low down, but having the support from everyone close to me has kept me going.

“I have realised as I have got older, you can’t be firing on all cylinders for every event.

“If I don’t win one race, it is not the end of the world, it is building blocks towards the end of the year. It is hard sometimes as you want to win every time, but you have to prioritise events, I will compete in races where the result doesn’t matter.

“My mindset has changed in that respect, it is about continuing to enjoy it as much as I can as I know it won’t last forever.

“It has been nice to ratify that I am still in a good place by still winning a world title.”