Superstar is born with Finucane’s
The first British woman since Rand in 1964 to complete feat Plenty more to come for the 21-year-old after sprint bronze
In the end, Emma Finucane fell short of the three gold medals which Dame Laura Kenny, perhaps unwisely, predicted for her at these Games. But after becoming the first British woman since Mary Rand in Tokyo 60 years ago to win three medals of any colour in a single Olympics, and the first British woman to win three track cycling medals in a single Games, it is safe to say we witnessed the birth of a superstar in Paris.
The 21-year-old from Carmarthen will head to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix in a couple of weeks, to indulge her passion for all things fast. And while she is unlikely to command the same level of attention as Lewis Hamilton or Lando Norris, her favourite Formula One driver, it would be a surprise if Martin Brundle does not make a beeline for her during his grid walk. Finucane has become a major name in British sport in the space of the past week. The BBC has probably already clipped its Sports Personality of the Year montage.
Bronze in the individual sprint on the final day was a disappointment in one sense. Finucane is the world champion in the discipline and hopes were high that the new golden girl of British cycling could give Team GB’S Olympics a golden glow at the very last.
But it is hard to be too disappointed in someone who arrived at her first Games, the baby of the team, with huge pressure on her shoulders, even more so following Katie Archibald’s injury, and delivered a gold and two bronze medals at the tender age of 21. And who did it all with a big smile on her face.
Finucane has been a breath of fresh air, on track and off. From volunteering information about the growth on her knee called Harold, that she will have removed shortly, and her love of Lando, and crying in the toilets in Glasgow before her world final last year, to the way she dealt with reporters in the mixed zone, talking excitedly about sleeping with her medals under her pillow and checking they were still there in the morning.
After losing 2-0 to New Zealand’s
‘Gold and two bronzes is more than I could have dreamed of. This week has been such a roller coaster’
Ellesse Andrews in the semi-final – the Kiwi proved to be the strongest female sprinter in Paris by far, winning sprint gold to add to her keirin gold – Finucane’s head might have dropped. But she rebounded admirably for her bronze-medal match against Hetty van de Wouw of the Netherlands, taking both sprints on and winning them convincingly.
“There’s no doubt Emma is a superstar,” enthused Stephen Park, British Cycling’s performance director. “At 21, three medals, she’s easily got two or three more Games left in her.”
Finucane is not the most powerful sprinter in the world. She told Telegraph Sport in the build-up that she could “only” put out around 1500 watts, “far less than some of the other girls”. But she is blessed with an efficient action which means she can get very low over the handlebars, and then maintain that position for the duration of her sprint.
And she will have learnt so much from this week. “Honestly, it’s just
like a dream,” she said. “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 has been such a roller coaster. I wish I’d got a book from someone telling 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, and I gave everything for that bronze medal. And yeah, I just can’t believe it’s over. I’m pretty sad, but it’s just been such a whirlwind of a week.”
Finucane is the great niece of military royalty; Brendan “Paddy” Finucane, who in June 1942 became the RAF’S youngest wing commander at 21. While you cannot compare heroism in battle and Olympic cycling, it is fair to say she has lived up to the family name creditably. She said she was looking forward to celebrating with hers. Father Rory and mother Susie had hired a camper van and drove the whole family over from Carmarthen.
“I haven’t seen them many times this year because they live in Wales and I have made choices not to go home as it is a long way,” she said. “I am so grateful that when I finished that race, they were up there in the crowd. I was able to celebrate with them. They were proud of me, no matter what I did. Win, lose or fourth. I am so glad they can see me race my bike.”
We will all be watching her do it for a long time to come. Will she try to come back and win three golds in Los Angeles? Finucane laughed. “I’m not even thinking about that. I just want to enjoy this moment.”