Emma Finucane says she will “come back fighting” for gold after missing the top step of the podium for the third time at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai. The 23-year-old Welsh sprinter was beaten by just 14 thousandths of a second in Sunday’s women’s keirin final.
Emma Finucane (Credits: BBC Sport)
Finucane led into the home straight but was pipped to the line by neutral athlete Alina Lysenko and Germany’s Lea Friedrich, settling for bronze. The medal completed a full set for her week in Shanghai — two silvers in the team sprint and individual sprint, both won by Chinese riders, plus the keirin bronze.
It was a remarkable show of consistency, even if gold remained agonizingly out of reach. “To medal in all three races at the world champs, I’d never done that before,” she told BBC Sport. “The confidence I have gained this week and the way I’ve been riding my bike, I can take that into the years to come.”
Eyes Already on Los Angeles 2028
Finucane, who took bronze in both the individual sprint and keirin at the Paris Olympics in 2024 before winning Britain’s first Olympic gold in the women’s team sprint alongside Katy Marchant and Sophie Capewell, made clear that retaining that team title in Los Angeles is the ultimate target.
“I’m actually really proud. I am frustrated not to be on the top step but I’ll come back fighting,” she said. “You can beat yourself up about races but I am learning all the time. Ultimately we are learning for the Olympics, that’s a huge goal. I put myself in winning positions in every race and that’s something I am proud of.”
In Shanghai, Rhianna Parris-Smith stepped in for the newly-retired Marchant in the team sprint lineup, with the British trio beaten by China’s Jiang Yulu, Tong Mengqi and Yuan Liying. Finucane says the fierce internal competition within the British squad is exactly what will drive them to success at the LA Games.
Britain Tops the Medal Table
“We won the team sprint in Paris which is one of the best moments of my life and there are 10 girls back at home fighting to be in the team,” she added. “That’s how we progress, and we will build on the momentum of this silver medal. Internal competition is how we win bike races. World records keep falling, we are pushing each other and it’s really exciting.”
Great Britain topped the medal table overall at the championships with 12 medals, including a hat-trick of gold medals for Anna Morris. For Finucane, the haul marks another step in a career that has already delivered Olympic glory — and with three near-misses in Shanghai, her motivation for Los Angeles 2028 looks anything but diminished.
Also Read: Anna Morris Completes Golden Hat-Trick at Track Cycling Worlds With Madison Victory
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
