British track cyclist Emma Finucane plans to come back fighting after narrowly missing gold in Shanghai at the Track Cycling World Championships, settling for bronze in the keirin just 14 thousandths of a second behind the winner.
Emma Finucane missed out on the top step of the podium for the third time in Shanghai at the Track Cycling World Championships, but the 23-year-old is already looking ahead. After leading into the home straight of Sunday’s keirin event, she was pipped to the finish line by neutral athlete Alina Lysenko and Germany’s Lea Friedrich. That narrow defeat left her just 14 thousandths of a second off the gold medal position.
The bronze added to two silver medals she secured earlier in the week in the team sprint and individual sprint events. Both of those finals were won by Chinese competitors. Despite the frustrations of coming so close to victory across multiple disciplines, she made clear that her competitive drive remains entirely intact.
To medal in all three races at the world champs, I’d never done that before.
Emma Finucane, via BBC Sport
Building Confidence and Pride in Shanghai
Reflecting on her performance across the championship week, Finucane expressed satisfaction with her overall development on the bike. While acknowledging the sting of missing out on gold, she emphasized the valuable lessons learned while putting herself in winning positions race after race.
Emma Finucane has won bronze in the women's Keirin at the World Track Cycling Championships in Shanghai🥉Finucane already had two silver medals from the sprint and team sprint 🚴#BBCCycling pic.twitter.com/NXx3UvX4Ss
I’m actually really proud. I am frustrated not to be on the top step but I’ll come back fighting. 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.
Emma Finucane, via BBC Sport
Those podium finishes in China contribute to a broader career trajectory that already includes individual sprint and keirin bronzes at the Paris Olympics, alongside gold in the women’s team sprint alongside Katy Marchant and Sophie Capewell.
Internal British Rivalry Driving Toward the 2028 Los Angleles Games
Looking toward the 2028 Olympics in Los Angleles, Finucane points to the fierce internal competition within the British track cycling squad as the primary engine for future success. In Shanghai, Rhianna Parris-Smith stepped into the team sprint lineup alongside Finucane, replacing the newly-retired Marchant. That new combination earned silver behind the Chinese trio of Jiang Yulu, Tong Mengqi, and Yuan Liying.
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. 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.
Emma Finucane, via BBC Sport
That depth helped Great Britain finish at the top of the overall medal table in Shanghai, collecting 12 medals across the championships—a haul underscored by a hat-trick of gold medals from Anna Morris.
