Emma Finucane became the first British woman in 60 years to win a hat-trick of medals in a single Olympics on a dramatic final day of the Paris Games.
Finucane emulated Mary Rand from the 1964 Olympics in winning individual sprint bronze to add to her team gold and earlier bronze in the keirin.
The 21-year-old had likened her seven days of racing to a rollercoaster, for Jack Carlin it ended like a rollercoaster gone wrong in a horror crash in the penultimate event, the keirin denying his own shot at a third medal of these Games.
The British rider had been accused of performing ‘rugby on wheels’ by his Dutch rivals on his way to a medal in the individual sprint. This was more acrobatics on wheels as Carlin ended up cartwheeling dramatically on his bike and was left face down on the track, initially appearing to be unconscious before medics helped him up.
He was one of three riders caught up in the melée and medical staff struggled to lift him to his feet in the immediate aftermath. He was later seen being treated by Team GB support staff with nasty grazes all over his back.
But he allayed fears over any injury. He said: “I’m alright. I’m just a bit sore but that is part and parcel of racing. I mucked it up a little bit, I was on the backfoot and then two riders collided in front of me and your day is done after that. It is what it is. I just got it wrong and I paid the consequence for that."
Finucane, meanwhile, had the harder of the two semi-finals in the individual sprint when drawn against Ellesse Andrews, the New Zealand rider who has been the form sprinter of these Games.
Andrews, the gold medallist in the keirin and eventual sprint winner on Sunday, won the opening two heats to consign the Briton to the bronze-medal race.
And 21-year-old Finucane was a class apart from Hetty van de Wouw, of the Netherlands, winning the first two races of the best-of-three series to take the bronze.
It took Team GB’s track cycling tally to eight but, for a team from which so much is expected because of their recent history, it lacked a golden hue.
Team Sprint 🥇
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 11, 2024
Keirin 🥉
Sprint 🥉
What a debut Olympics for Emma Finucane 🔥#Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/RsRrKEb84N
Finucane’s team sprint gold was the only one for a new-look team lacking many of its superstar riders.
After riding to her third medal, she said: "Honestly, it feels amazing. I know I had the expectation on me coming into these Games but honestly, a gold and two bronzes is more than I could have expected. It's been such a rollercoaster this week.
“I can’t believe I made history. I’m just going to enjoy it. I gave everything for that bronze meal. I can’t believe it’s over. I’m pretty sad. It’s just such a whirlwind.”
