Finucane leads Britain into Shanghai after Glasgow gold rush
Emma Finucane goes into the World Track Championships in Shanghai as the rider to beat after winning four Commonwealth Games golds for Wales in Glasgow.
The 23-year-old Welsh track cyclist leads a 19-strong Great Britain squad in China for the first event that counts towards qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The racing is live on the BBC. BBC Sport
At her fifth World Championships, Finucane will ride three events. That is the team sprint — three riders over three fast laps against the clock — plus the individual sprint, a one-on-one cat-and-mouse duel, and the keirin, a bunched dash decided after a pacing bike pulls off.
She arrives with form and a point to prove. Finucane won two silver medals at last year's World Championships, and Shanghai offers an early chance to bank qualifying points and momentum on the road to Los Angeles.
Britain will be without Matt Richardson. He was withdrawn in the build-up amid reports he is under investigation for misconduct. BBC Sport
Finucane has spoken about fine margins off the bike as well as on it. Ahead of the Commonwealth Games she received a new custom-built bike and specially designed helmet, and she told BBC Sport she was inspired by runner Keely Hodgkinson's race suit and sprinter Amy Hunt's nails and make-up routines before racing.
The three women were all born in the same year and together hold 17 Olympic, world and European titles.
Her rise has been quick. At 21 she became Britain's first female European sprint champion, then took sprint gold at the 2023 World Championships. In February this year she set a new flying 200m world record, the solo timed lap that decides the seedings for the sprint tournaments. British Cycling
What makes this stand out is how complete her sprint game now looks. Team sprint demands a perfect start. Individual sprint rewards nerve and timing. Keirin brings traffic and elbows. To enter all three in Shanghai is a statement of intent for the next two years.
