Emma Finucane Admits Historic Triple Medal Triumph Is The Stuff Of Dreams

By Hannah Blackwell

Emma Finucane has labelled her Paris Olympic achievements as “a dream” after she became the first British woman in 60 years to win three medals at a single Games.

Having already joined the small Welsh band of double Olympic medalists with a gold and bronze, Finucane took another bronze in the individual sprint on Sunday.

The 21-year-old, the reigning world champion, saw off Dutch rider Hetty van de Wouw, to add to her team sprint gold and keirin bronze.

In so doing, the Carmarthen rider matched the feats of another famous GB star. Back in 1964, Mary Rand won a gold, silver and a bronze for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics.

“Honestly, it’s just like a dream,” said Finucane, who has been sleeping with her medals under her pillow this week.

“Obviously, I would have loved to win that gold medal, but gold and two bronzes is more than I could have dreamed of.

“This week’s been such a roller coaster. I wish I’d got a book for someone to tell me how to get through an Olympic week.

“I’ve cried. I’ve had happy tears. I’ve been exhausted and to get up every day and keep fighting, I’m just really proud of myself.

“I gave everything for that bronze medal. And I just can’t believe it’s over. I’m pretty sad, but it’s just been such a whirlwind of a week.”

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At an Olympics where Britain’s cyclists have been unable to live up to their own recent standards – finishing the Games with only two gold medals having had six at both Rio and Tokyo, eight each in Beijing and Rio – Finucane has been among the highlights on her debut at this level.

“I’ve learned that emotions aren’t a negative and they mean you’re not weak,” Finucane added.

“I’ve cried a lot this week, and it just shows that I’m strong enough to get it out and reset. For me to be able to cry and then get on the track and reset and go again. I think that’s really important.”

“I wasn’t actually crying at the pressure,” Finucane said.

“I was crying because I was exhausted and my mind was just telling me things like, you can’t do it. But then I was like, I want to do it. It goes into many things.

“The pressure I’ve dealt with pretty well this week. It was more my internal pressure and how I want to deliver myself, and my legs screaming at me, telling me to stop, but I was like, ‘I need to keep going.’ It’s been many emotions.”

Emma Finucane from Carmarthen: the first Welsh Olympian to win three medals in one Games, the first British Olympian to do so since Mary Rand 60 years ago. A stupendous achievement. As the late great Ray Gravell of rugby fame used to say: 'West is best.' https://t.co/Tb6YSw8MAN

— Peter Jackson (@JackoRugby) August 11, 2024

New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews stormed to gold, comfortably beating Lea Friedrich in the final after seeing off Finucane in the semi-finals.

Jack Carlin crashed out of the men’s keirin final in what turned into a painful competition for Team GB.

Carlin initially struggled to get up after the high speed incident on the final bend of the race but eventually walked off the track without need of the waiting stretcher.

The Scot had been caught at the back of the group and was fighting to make up ground when Japanese rider Shinji Nakano and Malaysia’s Muhammad Sahrom tangled in front of him and left him with nowhere to go but down.

“I’m alright,” Carlin said. “I’m just a bit sore, but that is part and parcel of racing. I mucked it up a little bit, I was on the backfoot and then two riders collided in front of me and your day is done after that. It is what it is.

“I’ve done well, I was hoping for more today. This is the one I felt really confident (about) and I was doing really well, I just got it wrong and I paid the consequence for that.”

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Earlier Carlin’s team-mate Hamish Turnbull crashed heavily in his semi-final after trying to avoid an incident involving Germany’s Luca Spiegel.

After the crash, Turnbull did not take part in the race to determine the 7th to 12th places.

A British rider had won the men’s keirin at each of the past four Olympics – Sir Chris Hoy in Beijing and London, Sir Jason Kenny in Rio and Tokyo.

But, as expected, victory here went to Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen, who wore all three of his gold medals on the podium after also winning in the team sprint and individual event.

Neah Evans could only manage 15th in the women’s omnium, having crashed in the opening scratch race, as American Jennifer Valente took gold.

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