Finucane will 'come back fighting' after missing gold

Emma Finucane, the 23-year-old British track cyclist, announced her determination to continue fighting for gold medals after narrowly missing out on a top step podium finish for the third time at the Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai. Finucane came in third place in the keirin race, finishing just 14 thousandths of a second short of the gold medal position, which was claimed by Alina Lysenko of neutral team and Lea Friedrich of Germany.

This third-place finish follows her bronze medals in the team sprint and individual sprint events at the World Championships, adding to her silver medals from the Chinese cyclists. Finucane, who was part of the Great Britain's team sprint gold medal-winning trio at the 2024 Paris Olympics, aims to retain that title in Los Angeles.

She expressed her pride and frustration in an interview with BBC Sport, stating that she is learning from her experiences and ultimately focusing on the Olympics as the ultimate goal. Finucane highlighted the strength in depth within the British team, noting that the 10 riders at home are fighting to make the squad for the 2028 LA Games.

She emphasized that internal competition drives success in bike racing, as world records continue to fall and teammates push each other to improve. Great Britain topped the medal table at the championships with a total of 12 medals, including three gold medals for Anna Morris.