Emma Finucane is an Olympic gold medallist, a three-time world champion, and a former European champion, but rather than focusing solely on further accolades, she hopes to use her platform to inspire more girls to take up track cycling.
The 22-year-old, who began cycling when she was six years old, is currently the top ranked track sprinter in the world. Speaking to Cycling Weekly at the recent British National Track Championships, she said she’d like to “pursue different things” alongside racing in the run-up to the 2028 LA Olympics, including championing participation.
“I want to try a coaching course. I want to maybe do a few school talks inspiring girls to get into the sport, and some [experience] days to help girls get into the sport, or anyone trying to get on the track,” Finucane said. “There are a few things I want to achieve this year, not only on the bike, but off it.”
At the National Championships last month, Finucane held a meet-and-greet session with fellow Olympic champion Sophie Capewell, talking to young fans inside the Manchester Velodrome. “Everyone was asking for pictures and signatures,” she smiled. “I’m just a normal girl from Carmarthen who races her bike, but I want to inspire young girls. I want to inspire people to get on a bike.”
Finucane has previously said that, as a child, she didn’t know what track sprinting was, “or that it was even, for women, achievable or a thing”. Having discovered it by the age of 10, however, she began keeping a scrapbook with tales of her ambition to one day compete at the Olympics.
That dream became reality last summer when she made her Olympic debut in Paris, aged 21. Finucane returned with a gold and two bronzes as GB’s most decorated cyclist – the first British woman in 60 years to win three medals at a single Games. She then went on to win two more world titles at the UCI World Championships in October.
“It was an insane year for me,” she said, reflecting on 2024. “Afterwards, people start to notice you a bit more, and recognise you more in the velodrome. It’s strange because I’m still me – I’m still Emma – and you don’t do it for that [recognition], but obviously young girls have watched you, you’re on the TV, and the Olympics showcases that.
The Welshwoman is now looking for “a bit more balance, a bit more freedom” in her life as she works towards the next Olympics in 2028.
“I’ve learned a lot in the last couple of years that, yes, you can have those big dreams and goals, but it’s how you get there. I’m three and a half years out from the Olympics, I can’t fixate on it,” she said.
“It’s important to have that balance, and I think it’s something that’s not spoken about. You need to have that off-bike goal and personality, and then you can excel on the bike. It’s something I’m figuring out.”
