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Emma Finucane has spent three nights sleeping with a gold medal under her pillow, now Team GB’s newest track sprint star has a bronze to go with it.
Tipped by some for a hat-trick of sprint titles at Paris 2024, the 21-year-old from Carmarthen needed a photo finish to sneak through the semi-finals of the women’s keirin.
And she took advantage of that second chance by taking bronze in the final.
Racing alongside fellow team sprint gold medallist Katy Marchant, Finucane tried to go from a long way out to surprise reigning world champion Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand.
But the Kiwi has made this most unpredictable of events her forte, and was too strong for Finucane, with the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw pipping Finucane to silver.
But despite missing out on a second gold, Finucane was thrilled to have added another medal at her maiden Olympics.
“That bronze medal means everything to me. It was so, so hard but it was worth it. I think I went a lap too early but I knew if I didn’t go then I couldn’t wait on longer on this track,” said Finucane, who is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – which has been vital on their pathway to the Paris 2024 Games.
“I did everything I could to get a medal in my first Olympics and to have a gold, a bronze, and the sprint still to come is such a surreal moment.
“I’ve been sleeping with the gold medal under my pillow like the tooth fairy. I’m sharing with Katy, so I was like ‘hey Olympic gold medallist’. I’ll sleep with the bronze under my pillow as well.”
Marchant just missed out on the medals, finishing in fourth behind Finucane – who will now turn her attentions to the women’s individual sprint. That means a quick turnaround, with the qualifying rounds beginning on Friday for an event that takes place over three days.
Meanwhile, in the men’s omnium, Ethan Hayter could not find his usual form and missed out on a place on the podium.
A double world champion in this event, Hayter who took team pursuit silver on Wednesday, ran out of gas right at the end of the gold medal race against Australia. In that race, he was asked to dig deeper than usual, blowing up with about 300 metres to go.
And returning for his preferred event – where he likes to batter people’s heads in, as he puts it – the roles were very much reversed.
Home favourite Benjamin Thomas took gold after an entertaining points race, while Hayter could only manage eighth, winning the elimination race but being unusually passive in the other three events.
He explained: “I’ve not felt myself all day. Normally the omnium is my forte. In elite omniums since Tokyo, I’ve won every single one – without blowing my own trumpet.
“Normally I get better each race, tonight I didn’t feel myself. It was obviously very hard yesterday, going so deep. And emotionally, afterwards, to recover. I felt like I was ready but for whatever reason I wasn’t myself.
“I’ve been the favourite for every omnium for the last few years, so I’m used to (being marked). Normally I take the race on and dictate it. I get everyone playing my game but today I was on the back foot, getting my head kicked in.
“I didn’t want to be passive, that’s not my style. In an omnium I take it on and batter everyone’s heads in.
Elsewhere, Jack Carlin was handed a reprieve in his individual sprint quarter-final when Japanese opponent Kaiya Ota was relegated in their second race, with Carlin taking the decider to progress. Teammate Hamish Turnbull missed out to defending Olympic silver medallist Jeffrey Hoogland in a decider.
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