Emma Finucane ( ; born 22 December 2002) is a Welsh

track cyclist Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it wa ...

. She is an Olympic champion in the

team sprint The team sprint (also sometimes known as the Olympic sprint) is a track cycling event. Despite its name, it is not a conventional cycling sprint event – it is a three-rider team time trial held over three laps of a velodrome. The riders use a ...

, a two-time world champion in the

sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace * Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automobiles *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, a rebadged v ...

, and a world and European champion in the team sprint. At the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

, she became the first British woman to win three gold medals at a single games since

Mary Rand Mary Denise Rand, Member of the Order of the British Empire, MBE (née Bignal; born 10 February 1940) is a British former track and field athlete. She won the long jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics by breaking the world record, the first British ...

in 1964. In 2019, Finucane became Junior European champion in the 500m time-trial. At senior level, Finucane won two bronze medals for

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

at the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...

, in the sprint and the team sprint, and she became world champion for the first time at the 2023 World Track Cycling Championships when she triumphed in the sprint. Her victory made her the third British woman to become world sprint champion, after

Victoria Pendleton Victoria Louise Pendleton (born 24 September 1980) is a British former Track cycling, track cyclist who specialised in the Sprint (cycling), sprint, team sprint and keirin disciplines. She is a former Cycling at the Summer Olympics, Olympic, Wo ...

and

Becky James Rebecca Angharad James (born 29 November 1991) is a Welsh former professional racing cyclist specialising in track cycling. James was the 2013 world sprint and keirin champion. She is a 2016 Rio Olympics double silver medalist. James rode for ...

. Finucane enjoyed further success in 2024, becoming

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

champion in the sprint, winning three gold medals at the Track Nations Cup in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, and then winning her first Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. In

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, she was a member of the British team sprint line-up who set a new

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

on their way to gold, and she added two further bronze medals in the sprint and the

keirin – "racing track" – is a form of Motor-paced racing, motor-paced cycle racing in which track cycling, track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan ...

. She completed 2024 by becoming a

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

in the team sprint for the first time and she also successfully defended her world sprint title.

Early life

Finucane was born to parents Rory and Susie, and she grew up in the caretaker's house at Picton Barracks in

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

. She started cycling aged 7/8 at Carmarthen Velodrome, where she cycled with her sister Rosie and brother Sean. She then joined local club Towy Riders before later training at the Wales National Velodrome in

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

. Finucane was spotted by

British Cycling British Cycling (formerly the British Cycling Federation) is the main national sport governing body, governing body for cycle sport in United Kingdom, Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands a ...

aged 16, and she started training at

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

two years later. In 2019, she became Junior European Champion at the 500m time-trial as well as runner-up in both the

and

. Finucane then won bronze medals in the sprint and the 500m time-trial disciplines at the

2019 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships The 2019 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships are the annual Junior World Championship for track cycling hold at Frankfurt (Oder), Germany from 14 to 18 August 2019. Medal summary Notes * Competitors named in ''italics'' only participa ...

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Cycling career

Finucane won two silver medals at the 2020 British National Track Championships, in the 500m time-trial and

respectively. In 2021, she won silver in the team sprint at the UEC Under-23/Junior Track European Championships in

Apeldoorn Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland in the centre of the Netherlands. The municipality of Apeldoorn, including the villages of Beekbergen, Loenen (Apeldoorn), Loenen, Ugchelen and Hoenderloo ...

. Finucane became a national champion for the first time with victory in the

at the

2022 British National Track Championships The 2022 British National Track Championships were a series of track cycling competitions. The National Track Championships (excluding certain events) were due to be held from 28 to 30 January 2022 at the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome in Newpo ...

. She also won a silver medal in the keirin and bronze medals in both the

and the 500m time-trial. Representing Wales, Finucane won two bronze medals at the

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. She overcame

Sophie Capewell Sophie Ellen Capewell (born 4 September 1998) is a British professional Cycle sport, racing cyclist. She won a gold medal at the Cycling at the 2024 Summer Olympics, 2024 Summer Olympics in the Cycling at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's team ...

in the bronze medal race in the

, and was also a member of the Welsh trio who finished third in the

. She described her two medals as "above and beyond" her expectations. Finucane then made her debut appearance at the

Track Cycling World Championships The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling. They are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Before 1900, they were administered by the UCI ...

in October. Competing for Great Britain, she helped secure bronze in the

. Finucane won four national titles at the 2023 British Cycling National Track Championships, taking her career total of national titles to five. Her victories came in the 500m time trial, the sprint, the keirin and the team sprint. At the 2023 European Track Championships in

Grenchen Grenchen () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Lebern (district), Lebern in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Solothurn (canton), Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located at the foot of the Jura mountains betwee ...

, Finucane won silver medals in both the

and the

. In the Track Nations Cup, Finucane won bronze medals in the sprint and team sprint at the first round in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, before claiming sprint gold at the next round in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

. At the

2023 UCI Track Cycling World Championships The 2023 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were held from 3 to 9 August 2023, at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow, United Kingdom. It was the 120th edition of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, and was being held as part of the ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, she claimed her first senior world title as she took gold in the

competition. Her success made her the first British woman to become world sprint champion since

in 2013, and the third British woman overall (after

and James). She sealed victory by beating

Lea Friedrich Lea Sophie Friedrich (born 7 January 2000) is a German professional track cyclist. In October 2019, she won the silver medal in the women's team sprint event at the 2019 UEC European Track Championships. Major results ;2017 :National Junior ...

in the final. Finucane also set a new sea level record time during her 200m qualifying ride for the sprint. Later in the competition, she was a member of the British trio who claimed silver in the

. Finucane was named 2023 BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year. At the 2024 European Track Championships in Apeldoorn, Finucane won a silver in the

, a silver in the

and a gold in the individual sprint. Her gold in the sprint marked the first time that a British woman had claimed the European sprint title. Her gold and two silvers also marked the best ever performance by a British sprinter, male or female, at the

European Track Cycling Championships The European Track Cycling Championships are a set of elite level competition events held annually for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling, exclusively for European cyclists, and regulated by the European Cycling Union (UEC ...

. In February, Finucane won gold in the team sprint at the Track Nations Cup in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, and the following month she won three gold medals at the Track Nations Cup in

, triumphing in the sprint, team sprint and keirin. At the

, Finucane, alongside teammates Sophie Capewell and

Katy Marchant Katy Marchant (born 30 January 1993) is an elite British track cyclist who specialises in the sprint disciplines. She won gold as part of the Great Britain women's sprint team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, and was a European champion i ...

, won the gold medal in the women’s team sprint. The team broke the

three times during the event, ultimately setting the new record at 45.186 seconds in the final against New Zealand. Victory marked the first time that Great Britain had won Olympic gold in the women's team sprint and Finucane called their success "unreal", adding "All those tears we've cried, all those moments our legs have been hurting, it's all been worth it." She later added a bronze medal in the women's keirin. She then won her third medal of the games, a bronze in the

, to become the first British woman to win three medals in a single Olympic games since

in 1964. Finucane called her experience in Paris "a rollercoaster", later adding that she had felt "overwhelmed" by the expectation on her to perform, and that she had learned to release her emotions before she raced. At the

2024 UCI Track Cycling World Championships The 2024 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were held from 16 to 20 October 2024, at the Ballerup Super Arena in Ballerup, Denmark. It was the 121st edition of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Schedule A total of 22 events were held, ...

Ballerup Ballerup is a Danish town, seat of the Ballerup Municipality, in the Region Hovedstaden. There are approximately 25 schools in Ballerup Municipality. Ballerup has its own educational institution specialized in the study, training and research o ...

, Finucane teamed up with Capewell and Marchant to win gold in the

. They defeated the Netherlands in the final to claim the title. Victory marked the first time since 2008 that Great Britain had become women's team sprint world champions. She then went on to defend her world

title, overcoming

Hetty van de Wouw Hetty van de Wouw (born 29 May 1998) is a Dutch female Track cycling, track cyclist, representing Netherlands at international competitions. Major results ;2014 :1st Gent Junior Keirin :1st 500m time trial, National Track Junior Championships ...

in the gold medal race. Finucane was named BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year for a second successive year in December 2024. At the end of the year, Finucane revealed that she would concentrate on her training in 2025, and that she would not participate at either the British or

European Track Championships The European Track Cycling Championships are a set of elite level competition events held annually for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling, exclusively for European cyclists, and regulated by the European Cycling Union (UEC) ...

Personal life

Finucane is a great niece of Irish

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

RAF pilot Wing Commander Brendan 'Paddy' Finucane (1920–1942), who in June 1942 became the RAF’s youngest wing commander at just age 21. Her partner is track cyclist Matthew Richardson. In 2024, she lived in

Bredbury Bredbury is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, east of Stockport and south-west of Hyde, Greater Manchester, Hyde. The Bredbury and Woodley, Greater Manchester, Woodley buil ...

, with fellow cyclist

Jessica Roberts Jessica Anne Roberts (born 11 April 1999) is a British cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's Continental Team . She was part of the Great Britain squad which won gold in the team pursuit at the 2024 UCI Track Cycling World Championships ...

. She was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2025 New Year Honours The 2025 New Year Honours are appointments by King Charles III among the 15 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The ...

for services to cycling.

Major results

;2020 :

National Track Championships National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

::2nd

Keirin – "racing track" – is a form of Motor-paced racing, motor-paced cycle racing in which track cycling, track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan ...

::2nd 500m TT ;2022 :

::1st

Team sprint The team sprint (also sometimes known as the Olympic sprint) is a track cycling event. Despite its name, it is not a conventional cycling sprint event – it is a three-rider team time trial held over three laps of a velodrome. The riders use a ...

(with Rhian Edmunds and Lowri Thomas) ::2nd

::3rd

Sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace * Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automobiles *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, a rebadged v ...

::3rd 500m TT :

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

::3rd

(with Rhian Edmunds and Lowri Thomas) ::3rd

UCI Track World Championships The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling. They are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Before 1900, they were administered by the UCI ...

::3rd

(with

and Lauren Bell) ;2023 :

::1st

(with

and Lowri Thomas) ::1st MaillotReinoUnido

::1st

500 m time trial : UEC European Championships ::2nd

::2nd

(with

and Lauren Bell) : Track Nations Cup :: 3rd Sprint, Jakarta :: 3rd Team sprint, Jakarta (with

and Lauren Bell) :: 1st Sprint, Cairo :

UCI World Championships The UCI World Championships are annual competitions promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to determine world champion cyclists. They are held in several different styles of racing, in a different country each year. Championship winn ...

::1st

::2nd

(with

and Lauren Bell) ;2024 : UEC European Championships ::1st European champion jersey 2016

::2nd

(with

and

) : Track Nations Cup :: 1st Team Sprint, Adelaide (with

and

) :: 1st Sprint, Hong Kong :: 1st Team sprint, Hong Kong (with

and

) :: 1st Keirin, Hong Kong :

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

::1st

(with

and

) ::3rd

::3rd

::1st

(with

and

) ::1st

References

External links

Emma Finucane
at

* * * * *
Emma Finucane
at the

Paris 2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finucane, Emma Living people 2002 births British track cyclists Welsh track cyclists Welsh female cyclists British female cyclists Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Wales Commonwealth Games cyclists for Wales Cyclists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games UCI Track Cycling World Champions (women) Sportspeople from Carmarthen Cyclists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists for Great Britain Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in cycling Sports world record holders Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain Olympic bronze medalists in cycling Welsh people of Irish descent Members of the Order of the British Empire Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in cycling