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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 in Italy in a couple of weeks, to indulge her passion for all things fast at the Italian Formula One Grand Prix. And while she is unlikely to command the same level of attention as Lewis Hamilton or Lando Norris, her favourite driver, it would be a surprise if Martin Brundle does not make a beeline for her during his gridwalk. Finucane has become a major name in British sport in the space of the last week. The BBC have probably already clipped their SPOTY montage.
Bronze in the individual sprint on the final day was a disappointment in one sense. Finucane is the reigning world champion in the discipline and hopes were high that the new golden girl of GB 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 such a tender age. And who has done it all with a big smile on her face.
Finucane has been a breath of fresh air, both on track and off. From volunteering information about the growth on her knee called Harold, which she is going to have removed shortly, and her love of Lando, and crying in the toilets in Glasgow before her worlds 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 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 the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw, 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 sees her manage to get incredibly low over handlebars, and then maintain that position for the duration of her sprint.
And she will have learned so much from this week. “Honestly, it’s just like a dream,” she reflected. “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 rollercoaster. 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 aged just 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 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.”
Finucane lands her third medal: As it happened
01:57 PM BST
Finucane’s third medal at Paris 2024
01:51 PM BST
GB finish on eight medals in the velodrome
Gold: Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane (women’s team sprint)
Silver: Ed Lowe, Hamish Turnbull and Jack Carlin (men’s team sprint), Ethan Hayter, Daniel Bingham, Charlie Tanfield and Ethan Vernon (men’s team pursuit), Elinor Barker and Neah Evans (women’s Madison)
Bronze: Elinor Barker, Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Jessica Roberts (women’s team pursuit), Emma Finucane (women’s keirin), Jack Carlin (men’s sprint), Emma Finucane (women’s sprint).
You can take a look at all of Great Britain’s medals from these Games with our dedicated Team GB medal-winners page.
01:34 PM BST
Valente wins gold
Neah Evans wins the final sprint but she was miles out of contention. Wollaston is second.
But it is all about Jennifer Valente who takes the gold medal and the American wins back-to-back Olympic golds in the women’s omnium. An emphatic display from the American. Poland’s Daria Pikulik wins silver and New Zealand’s Ally Wollaston takes the bronze medal. The big loser was Australia’s Georgia Baker, who was second going into the final event but ended up finishing fifth.
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Jennifer Valente (USA) 144pts
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Daria Pikulik (Poland) 131pts
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Ally Wollaston (New Zealand) 125pts
01:32 PM BST
10 laps to go
Ally Wollaston has gained a lap to move into the podium positions.
Kopecky, Daria Pikulik and Maike van der Duin have attacked and they now gain a lap.
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Daria Pikulik 5pts
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Lotte Kopecky 3pts
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Maike van der Duin 3pts
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Neah Evans 1pt
The top three as it stands; Valente, Pikulik and Wollaston.
01:29 PM BST
20 laps to go
Japan’s Yumi Kajihara gains a lap but she is well down in the overall standings. Wollaston takes the latest sprint, with just two remaining.
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Ally Wollaston 5pts
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Maria Martins 3pts
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Maggie Coles-Lyster 3pts
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Amalie Dideriksen 1pt
01:26 PM BST
30 laps to go
The Neah Evans group gains a lap and 20 points. Our current leader Valente has also gained a lap to strengthen her position in the overall lead. Dideriksen was also with Valente to take a lap.
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Yumi Kajihara 5pts
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Neah Evans 3pts
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Daria Pikulik 3pts
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Maggie Coles-Lyster 1pt
Valente now has a 36-point lead over Georgia Baker.
01:23 PM BST
40 laps to go
Gillespie and Stenberg have caught the group and gain 20 points. That moves Gillespie into fourth and Stenberg into the bronze medal position. Terrific move from the duo. Neah Evans is then part of a four-woman attack.
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Daria Pikulik 5pts
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Neah Evans 3pts
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Olivija Baleisyte 3pts
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Aline Seitz 1pt
01:20 PM BST
50 laps to go
Lara Gillespie is in seventh overall and attacks for the second time in this race. She is joined by Norway’s Anita Stenberg.
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Lara Gillespie 5pts
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Anita Stenberg 3pts
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Franziska Brausse 3pts
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Jennifer Valente 1pt
Valente still leads the way in the overall standings by 16 points.
01:18 PM BST
60 laps to go
The French crowd are delighted to see Valentine Fortin attack and no-one has followed. She takes maximum points and also laps the field to take 20 points. She is not in contention for a medal but still a good move to please her home crowd.
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Valentine Fortin 5pts
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Victoria Velasco Fuentes 3pts
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Daria Pikulik 3pts
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Lottie Kopecky 1pt
01:15 PM BST
70 laps to go
Switzerland’s Aline Seitz attacks and she actually nearly collided with Neah Evans as she came through. She is not out in front for long. Jennifer Valente has been the strongest rider so far and is allowed to take the first sprint.
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Jennifer Valente 5pts
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Daria Pikulik 3pts
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Maggie Coles-Lyster 2pts
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Anita Stenberg 1pt
01:07 PM BST
Women’s omnium
Slightly later than billed, it is time for the final race in the velodrome at the 2024 Paris Olympics; the points race. Realistically Neah Evans is out of medal contention for GB. The reigning Olympic champion Jennifer Valente looks good to win back-to-back golds in this event.
80 laps left around this velodrome.
“Team GB spokesperson says Jack Carlin “generally ok, just battered and bruised”. He will hopefully come and speak to us after the omnium points race.”
01:05 PM BST
Finucane delighted with her week
“Emma Finucane says she has “cried a lot and learned a lot” this week, about how to handle pressure and emotion. Delighted with her week overall. She said she was still sleeping with her medals under her pillow and checking they were still there in the morning. Asked whether she would try to win three golds in Los Angeles, she laughed. “I’m not even thinking about that.”
01:01 PM BST
Emma Finucane speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live
“I feel on top of the world! This whole week has been a rollercoaster for me, so many high and so many lows. That bronze medal felt like a gold medal to me.
“I wanted to be in the gold final, but I had nothing left to give. To have my family here, the national lottery I couldn’t be here without them, British cycling, the physios and doctors it is such a wider team and not just me – I wanted to do it for them.
“To come away with three medals is more than what I could have dreamed of. I am going to celebrate tonight!”
On being the first female British athlete to win three medals at an Olympics in 60 years:
“You don’t think about it in the moment and for me it is about inspiring young kids to get on the track and to give it a go. I am living my teenage dream and I love every second of it, but this is my job and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
“I want to keep doing what I do and keep making Britain proud. It has been such a cool experience and I cannot believe it.”
On the LA Games:
“The sky is the limit. I didn’t know I was capable of this coming here. Getting a bronze and two golds is more than a dream come true.”
12:57 PM BST
Review after men’s keirin final
There has been a short delay before the medal ceremony. Malaysia’s Muhammad Sahrom has been relegated from fourth to sixth. He actually came across the line sliding across the track after the crash.
After that delay the medal ceremony for the men’s keirin will now take place. We still have one more race in the shape of the final event of the women’s omnium.
12:50 PM BST
One final race in the velodrome
The track cycling action comes to an end with the final event of the women’s omnium; the points race.
Covering 20km (80 laps) for women, there is a sprint every ten laps, with five, three, two and one points available for the first four riders over the line. The final sprint sees ten, six, four and two points available. Like the tempo race, riders can gain 20 points for taking a lap, but will lose 20 if they themselves are lapped.
USA’s Jennifer Valente leads on 118 points, with Australia’s Georgia Baker second on 108 points and Canada’s Maggie Coles-Lyster third on 96 points.
12:42 PM BST
Carlin receiving treatment
He is now sat up after that heavy crash but is still receiving treatment. Looking back at the replays Glaetzer was right at the back before the crash and then with three riders going down he came through to take the bronze medal.
“Jack Carlin stayed down a long time there. He tried to sit up but then lay back down again. They brought out a stretcher and a neck brace but in the end he was able to walk away.”
12:38 PM BST
Lavreysen wins gold, Carlin crashes
It is Lavreysen vs Richardson as it has been throughout these Games and the Dutchman comes out on top again as he wins a hat-trick of gold medals in Paris. What a battle that was. Two medals for Australia as Glaetzer takes the bronze medal.
Behind half the field go down off the final bend, which includes Jack Carlin in a heavy crash. He got caught up as Shinji Nakano and Muhammad Sahrom collided.
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Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands)
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Matthew Richardson (Australia)
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Matthew Glaetzer (Australia)
12:36 PM BST
Men’s keirin final
Carlin is fourth in line, with Lavreysen second in line.
12:36 PM BST
Off we go
The derny bikes comes around, the gun goes off and we are six laps away from the gold medal being awarded.
12:34 PM BST
Men’s keirin final
Jack Carlin of Great Britain is going for gold, but he will have his work cut out beating the Netherlands’ Harrie Lavreysen and Australia’s Matthew Richardson.
12:32 PM BST
Men’s keirin 7-12
Colombia’s Cristian David Ortega Fontalvo takes seventh, Sam Dakin of New Zealand eighth, Germany’s Luca Spiegal ninth and Matueusz Rudyk of Poland in tenth. Despite not starting that race, Hamish Turnbull will finish 11th in the men’s keirin.
12:29 PM BST
Men’s keirin 7-12
There will be no Hamish Turnbull on the start line after his crash in the semi-finals. Germany’s Luca Spiegel, who also crashed, does mark the start.
12:24 PM BST
Gold for New Zealand
Ellesse Andrews has had an exceptional Olympics and she wins her second gold of these Games. She won the keirin and comfortably beats Lea Friedrich in the second race to win gold. That is New Zealand’s first individual track cycling sprint gold.
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Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand)
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Lea Friedrich (Germany)
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Emma Finucane (Great Britain)
12:19 PM BST
Finucane bronze
She leads from the front and goes early. Hetty van de Wouw cannot get past and Emma Finucane wins the bronze medal, her third medal of the Games. She won both races with a fair amount of ease. That is Great Britain’s eighth medal in the velodrome, surpassing their total from Tokyo.
“Finucane becomes the first British woman since Mary Rand in Tokyo 1964 (long jump, pentathlon, 4x100m) to win three Olympic medals at the same Games.”
12:17 PM BST
Women’s sprint bronze medal race
GB’s Emma Finucane beat the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw in the first race so is just one win away from the bronze medal. Here they go…
12:13 PM BST
Valente in control of the omnium
The defending Olympic champion is looking in imperious form as she wins the elimination race. Australia’s Georgia Baker, who was second going into this event, finishes second.
Here are the standings after three of four events:
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Jennifer Valente (USA) 118pts
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Georgia Baker (Australia) 108pts
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Maggie Coles-Lyster (Canada) 96pts
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Amalie Dideriksen (Denmark) 84pts
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Lara Gillespie (Ireland) 76pts
12:12 PM BST
Lottie Kopecky out
The Belgian rider is gone and the top three in the overall standings will fight it out for the win.
12:10 PM BST
Dideriksen gone
After there is no elimination on one sprint as the judges could not decide quickly enough who was out, Denmark’s Amelie, who was fourth going into this event, Dideriksen is out. The top three in the overall standings are all still in it and showing exactly why they are up there.
12:07 PM BST
Disappointment for home crowd
France’s Valentine Fortin gets caught out and is eliminated. She finishes 10th in this race.
Ireland’s Lara Gillespie, who had a good tempo race, is next out.
12:06 PM BST
Ally Wollaston gone
The New Zealander was fifth overall going into the elimination race but she does not make the top ten.
12:03 PM BST
Neah Evans out
She is gone as she is eliminated from the race. Disaster for her and her miserable omnium continues. No chance of a medal now. There was chaos as the organisers made a meal of who had been eliminated.
“Fair to say Neah Evans is having a bit a disastrous omnium. Disqualified from the elimination race for overtaking on the Cote d’Azur. There were whispers this week that Elinor Barker, who looked very dynamic in the Madison that she did with Evans the other night (when they took silver), might be keen to ride the omnium. But it was confirmed this morning that Neah Evans would represent Team GB.”
12:01 PM BST
Evans moves forward
Sensibly, after nearly being eliminated straight away, Evans has moved to the front. Switzerland’s Aline Seitz is the fourth rider out.
12:00 PM BST
Neah Evans nearly gone
She is very, very lucky as she escapes elimination. Germany’s Franziska Brausse is out first. Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky was another big name who nearly was eliminated.
11:59 AM BST
Women’s omnium- elimination race
We are under way.
11:57 AM BST
Women’s omnium- elimination race
Every second lap, the last rider to cross the finish line is eliminated until there are two remaining, and they sprint it out.
The defending champion Jennifer Valente of the USA leads by eight points ahead of Australia’s Georgia Baker after two events. GB’s Neah Evans is down in 20th.
11:56 AM BST
Relegation in the men’s keirin
We have news from the second semi-final. Japan’s Kaiya Ota has been relegated so Malaysia’s Muhammad Sahrom will take his place in the final.
11:54 AM BST
Andrews wins race one
That was impressive from the New Zealander as she holds off Friedrich. Andrews already has two medals to her name at these Games and is guaranteed a third here, but what colour will it be?
11:51 AM BST
Finucane takes race one
She beats van de Wouw by 0.237 seconds to win the first race. A victory in the second race and Finucane will claim her third medal of these Games.
The first race in the gold medal contest between Lea Friedrich and Ellesse Andrews is coming up.
11:48 AM BST
Women’s sprint
Emma Finucane is up first in the bronze medal race against the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw. It is the same set-up as the semi-finals with a best of three to decide who wins bronze.
11:41 AM BST
Richardson wins, Turnbull crashes
Australia’s Matthew Richardson takes the second semi-final ahead of the Netherlands’ Harrie Lavreysen. Japan’s Kaiya Ota takes third but Hamish Turnbull has gone down around the final bend as he tried to avoid Germany’s Luca Spiegel, who had already gone down. Turnbull did not look like he was going through.
Fortunately both riders are back up but Turnbull looks like he is in a fair bit of pain as he is helped away.
“Unfortunate for Hamish Turnbull who is now limping off track with his arm draped around GB’s chief medical officer Nigel Jones, a huge rip in the back of his skinsuit. So just one Brit in the keirin final, but Carlin is looking really impressive today. Won his quarter-final and his semi-final in fine fashion.”
11:37 AM BST
Men’s keirin semi-finals
Semi-final two coming up:
Matthew Richardson (Australia), Hamish Turnbull (Great Britain), Luca Spiegel (Germany), Kaiya Ota (Japan), Muhammad Sahrom (Malaysia), Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands).
11:36 AM BST
Carlin cruises into the final
That is a very impressive display from Jack Carlin. He was on the wheel of Sam Dakin for a while and then, with a lap to go, he went to the front and eased to victory by quite some distance. Matthew Glaetzer came over in second and Shinji Nakano is the third and last man into the final.
11:30 AM BST
Men’s keirin semi-finals
No repechages so no rescue if you mess it up. Here is the line-up for the first semi-final, with GB’s Jack Carlin in there.
Matthew Glaetzer (Australia), Cristian David Ortega Fontalvo (Colombia), Jack Carlin (Great Britain), Shinji Nakano (Japan), Sam Dakin (New Zealand), Mateusz Rudyk (Poland).
The top three in each semi-final go through to the final.
11:27 AM BST
Capewell takes fifth
She times her run to the line to perfection to take fifth in the women’s sprint. Emma Hinze is sixth, Colombia’s Martha Bayona Pineda seventh and defending champion Kelsey Mitchell eighth.
Great Britain will have two riders in the top five of the women’s sprint.
11:23 AM BST
Women’s sprint 5th-8th
Having been knocked out in the quarter-finals, GB’s Sophie Capewell is going in the 5th-8th sprint. She goes up against Canada’s Kelsey Mitchell (who won gold in this event in Tokyo), Germany’s Emma Hinze and Colombia’s Martha Bayona Pineda.
11:21 AM BST
Friedrich through
The final of the women’s sprint will be between Ellesse Andrews and Lea Friedrich. Emma Finucane will take on Hetty van de Wouw in the bronze medal race.
“It might not be for gold but that didn’t stop Jack Carlin and Jeffrey Hoogland from going at it the other night. Finucane will have one less sprint in her legs as well.”
11:19 AM BST
Women’s sprint semi-finals
Lea Friedrich (Germany) and Hetty van de Wouw (Netherlands) have a decider to see who will join Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) in the final.
GB’s Emma Finucane awaits the loser in the bronze medal race. Whoever that is will have to complete another race than Finucane has, so could that be an advantage for the British rider?
11:11 AM BST
Valente strengthens position
The scratch race comes to a close and the USA’s Jennifer Valente strengthens her position in the women’s omnium. Only five riders claimed points during the race, including Ireland’s Lara Gillespie who took a lap on the field.
After two of the four events, here are the standings:
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Jennifer Valente (USA) 78pts
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Georgia Baker (Australia) 70pts
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Maggie Coles-Lyster (Canada) 60pts
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Amalie Dideriksen (Denmark) 58pts
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Ally Wollaston (New Zealand) 56pts
GB’s Neah Evans is down in 20th on just seven points.
11:09 AM BST
1 lap to go
Valente, Pikulik and Baker still have not made it to the main group and will not take a lap but have been mopping up sprint points.
11:08 AM BST
8 laps to go
Neah Evans, now in a fluorescent helmet, has attacked but she is on her own.
11:07 AM BST
10 laps to go
Valente, Pikulik and Baker have been hoovering up some sprint points and are just waiting to catch the field so that they can continue to take sprint points for the time being before gaining that lap.
11:05 AM BST
18 laps to go
Valente attacks with Pikulik of Poland and Baker of Australia on her wheel. How have they allowed the defending champion to do this?
11:04 AM BST
22 laps to go
She mops up a few sprint points and then gains a lap on the field, so is given 20 points.
11:03 AM BST
25 laps to go
Ireland’s Lara Gillespie attacks just one lap before the first sprint. No-one responds immediately as they all look at each other. Gillespie is going to pick up some points here and could lap the field.
11:00 AM BST
Women’s omnium
Tempo race explained
It is contested over 30 laps (7.5km). From the fifth lap onwards, one point is awarded to the rider who crosses the finish line first every lap. (Riders can gain a lap, earning 20 points, but if they are lapped by the bunch, they will lose 20).
The defending Olympic champion Jennifer Valente (USA) is in the lead after the scratch race. GB’s Neah Evans had a disastrous start after a late crash, meaning she is bottom.
10:57 AM BST
Andrews pips Finucane
Disappointment for Emma Finucane. She is beaten by Andrews in the second race and the New Zealander will take her place in the final. Both riders had a chance to win a second gold of these Game but it will be Andrews who now has the opportunity to do so. Finucane will have to settle for a battle for bronze.
“Worth bearing in mind that Finucane is still only 21. Twelve months ago no one had heard of her. She will have gained a huge amount of experience from these Games and she still has the chance of a bronze. That said, Finucane did come in as the world champion, and was tipped for three golds in Paris by none other than Laura Kenny. Perhaps the weight of expectation told, or perhaps Ellesse Andrews was simply unbeatable. The Kiwi could be about to do an unprecedented sprint double.”
10:54 AM BST
Friedrich takes it to a decider
Hetty van de Wouw was praying for that line to come to send her straight into the final but Lea Friedrich pips her to take it to a deciding race in around 25 minutes.
Now it is over to Emma Finucane. Can she repeat what Friedrich has just done and take it to a decider?
10:49 AM BST
Women’s sprint semi-finals
Time for race two. It is advantage Hetty van de Wouw (Netherlands) and Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand), so Lea Friedrich (Germany) and Emma Finucane (Great Britain) have work to do to take it to deciders.
10:45 AM BST
Final men’s keirin quarter-final
As was expected Australia’s Matthew Richardson wins the final heat. New Zealand’s Sam Dakin is second with Poland’s Mateusz Rudyk and Germany’s Luca Spiegel also going through.
Two huge shocks as the Netherlands’ Jeffrey Hoogland and Colombia’s Kevin Santiago Quintero Chavarro are out.
“We’re not going to have a Carlin-Hoogland re-match in the keirin then. Bit of a shame.”
10:40 AM BST
Turnbull through
The tactics from Turnbull were excellent there. He picked the right wheel in the Netherlands’s Harrie Lavreysen, who wins heat two. Lavreysen has already won two golds at these Games and is arguably the favourite for this title. Turnbull, who had to come through the repechage yesterday, takes a second place comfortably. Colombia’s Ortega Fontalvo and Japan’s Shinji Nakano are also through.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Nicholas Paul and Nick Wammes of Canada are out. No more repechages.
10:35 AM BST
Carlin through to semi-finals
Carlin is drawn at the front with Glaetzer on his wheel. Soon after the derny pulls over Glaetzer decides to come to the front but then Japan’s Kaiya Ota takes up the lead.
Carlin looked for a moment like he might be boxed in but comes over the top and takes victory to progress to the semi-finals. Glaetzer, Sahrom and Ota join him. Yakovlev of Israel and Canada’s Hedgcock are out.
Turnbull is up in the next heat.
10:30 AM BST
Men’s keirin quarter-finals
The keirin explained
It is raced over six laps. The competitors start behind a derny bike, which the riders must remain behind for three laps. The derny starts at 30 km/h, gradually increasing to 50 km/h by its final circuit. The derny then leaves the track with three laps remaining and it is then up to the riders to sprint to the finish.
The first four riders in each of the quarter-finals progress to the semi-finals.
Jack Carlin goes in heat one with Australia’s Matthew Glaetzer.
Hamish Turnbull is in heat two alongside Netherlands’ Harrie Lavreysen.
10:28 AM BST
Andrews takes first race
Andrews has been drawn to be in front at the start of this first race in the second semi-final. The pace ramps up with just over a lap to go. Finucane tries to come around Andrews on the final bend but cannot quite get past the New Zealander. It will be interesting to see if that might be reviewed as Andrews did look like she came out a little on the final bend which pushed Finucane slightly wider but as it stands Andrews takes the first race. Advantage Andrews.
10:26 AM BST
First women’s sprint semi-final
Germany’s Lea Friedrich leads it out but the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw comes over the top and pips Friedrich at the line by 0.014 seconds to take the first race. Victory in the second race and the Dutch women will be into the final.
Time for Emma Finucane as she comes up against Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand.
10:22 AM BST
Women’s sprint semi-finals
Heat one- Germany’s Lea Friedrich vs Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw
Heat two- Great Britain’s Emma Finucane vs New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews
Race one- 10:22 (BST)
Race two- 10:50
Decider (if needed)- 11:18
10:18 AM BST
Valente wins, Evans crashes
Disaster for Neah Evans! She was near the back trying to work her way forward but she is down around the final bend. The defending Olympic champion Jennifer Valente takes the maximum 40 points, with Canada’s Maggie Coles-Lyster second and Australia’s Georgia Baker third.
She tried to squeeze between Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky and Germany’s Franziska Brausse but the gap was not there and she hit the deck.
Evans did get back on her bike but she will not get checked for any possible concussion. She only takes one point, which is a disastrous start for her.
“What a shame for Neah Evans. She was boxed in for those final laps. Seemed to brush the back of Lotte Kopecky’s wheel on that final corner. It’s no fault of her’s, of course, but this event (the women’s omnium) is another where GB are ruing the absence of Katie Archibald. The mighty Scot, who broke her ankle in a freak accident in June, would have been going for three gold medals at these Games in the team pursuit, the Madison and the omnium. We’ll never know how Archibald or GB might have fared had she been fit and healthy.”
10:16 AM BST
1 lap to go
They hit the bell and the pace is electric. The defending champion Valente is up near the front.
10:15 AM BST
5 laps to go
The pace is ramping up, wih the whole field still together.
10:13 AM BST
10 laps to go
Inside the final 10 laps but no-one else has decided to take a risk and attack quite yet, but that will soon change.
10:12 AM BST
15 laps to go
This effort is surely going to be in vain and that may be an expensive mistake from Fortin. She swings up and gives it up. Perhaps a wise call to call it a day there to try and recover some energy.
10:11 AM BST
20 laps to go
Our first attack comes from France’s Valentine Fortin, much to the delight of the home crowd. No-one has gone with her yet but the pack will have to chase her down.
10:09 AM BST
25 laps to go
A steady start to this scratch race. A reminder all of the points are available at the finish so still a long way out to attempt an attack. I have become so used to see the GB riders in fluorescent helmets but with Neah Evans on her own and no need to spot a teammate in this event just a white helmet.
10:07 AM BST
30 laps to go
And we are officially under way.
10:07 AM BST
Off we go in the omnium
All 22 riders have made their way onto the track for the scratch race. Katie Archibald was supposed to be competing for Team GB in this event but, due to a serious injury in the build-up to the Games, Neah Evans has stepped in. Evans won silver earlier in the week in the women’s Madison alongside Elinor Barker.
A bit of drama before the start as Italy’s Letizia Paternoster has crashed as they were making their way out onto the track. She has changed her bike so a few checks just to make sure the new bike is still legal. However we have another short delay as Paternoster goes back to her original bike after all of that!
A rolling start and then 7.5km to the finish in the first of four events in this omnium.
10:01 AM BST
Finucane primed for another medal?
“Is it just me or is it ever slightly cooler in the velodrome today? Maybe after seven days in the sweatbox, my body has finally acclimatised.
“Big session coming up. GB currently on 10 cycling medals for these Games, which meets UK Sport’s funding target and isn’t far off previous cycles in terms of volume. But only two of those have been gold. That is massively down on previous cycles (8 golds in Beijing, 8 in London, 6 in Rio, 6 in Tokyo). And only one of those two golds has come in the velodrome, which is also unusual.
“British Cycling could really do with another to paint this as a ‘good’ Games. Emma Finucane probably their best bet. Massive semi-final coming up for her in the women’s sprint against New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews, who won the keirin earlier this week. I would say the winner of that semi would be favourite for gold.”
09:55 AM BST
Women’s omnium coming up
The first race in the women’s omnium is the scratch race; a 30-lap (7.5km) race to the finish. First over the line takes the maximum 40 points, second 38, third 36 and so on.
09:46 AM BST
What is the omnium?
The omnium race is a four-discipline event; the scratch race, tempo race, elimination race and points race. For the first three events, 40 points are awarded to the winner, 38 for second, 36 for third, and so on through the field.
The first event, the scratch race, is contested over 7.5km for women, the competitors start together and the first rider over the line wins the race.
Next up is the tempo race, over those same distances. From the fifth lap onwards, one point is awarded to the rider who crosses the finish line first every lap. (Riders can gain a lap, earning 20 points, but if they are lapped by the bunch, they will lose 20).
Third up is the elimination race. Every second lap, the last rider to cross the finish line is eliminated until there are two remaining, and they sprint it out.
Lastly, we have the points race. Covering 20km for women, there is a sprint every ten laps, with five, three, two and one points available for the first four riders over the line. The final sprint sees ten, six, four and two points available. Like the tempo race, riders can gain 20 points for taking a lap, but will lose 20 if they themselves are lapped.
The overall omnium winner is decided by the highest points totals after the points race.
09:38 AM BST
Today’s schedule
10:00- Women’s omnium scratch race 1/4 (featuring GB’s Neah Evans)
10:22- Women’s sprint semi-finals (featuring GB’s Emma Finucane)
10:29- Men’s keirin quarter-finals (featuring GB’s Jack Carlin and Hamish Turnbull)
10:57- Women’s omnium tempo race 2/4
11:25- Women’s sprint places 5-8 (featuring GB’s Sophie Capewell)
11:29- Men’s keirin semi-finals
11:45- Women’s sprint finals
11:53- Women’s omnium elimination race 3/4
12:23- Men’s keirin finals
12:56- Women’s omnium points race 4/4
09:16 AM BST
Preview
Good morning and welcome to coverage of the final day of action from the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome on the final day of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Plenty of medals are up for grabs today and Team GB will be hoping to add to the seven medals they already have in the velodrome. The team won seven medals in track cycling in Tokyo so they have a good chance of beating that today.
The women’s omnium kicks off the action on the final day at 10.00 (BST) as Neah Evans, fresh from silver in the Madison alongside Elinor Barker, goes for GB. USA’s Jennifer Valente is the defending Olympic champion and she is looking to defend her title in Paris today. The silver medallist from Tokyo, Yumi Kajihara of Japan, is also in the field this time around. Laura Kenny competed in this event for GB back in Tokyo and finished sixth. The omnium is made up of four races; scratch, tempo, elimination and points.
At 10.22 Emma Finucane will be aiming for her third medal of the Games in the women’s sprint. Finucane, who won gold in the team sprint and bronze in the keirin. will take on New Zealander Ellesse Andrews in the semi-finals for a place in the final. Andrews has also won two medals so far at these Games; gold in the keirin and silver in the team sprint, which Finucane and her GB teammates Katy Marchant and Sophie Capewell won. Capewell has not joined Finucane in the semi-finals after she was knocked out in the quarter-finals by the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw, who will take on Germany’s Lea Friedrich in the other semi-final. Capewell will be involved in a sprint for the 5th-8th places, which also includes Canada’s Kelsey Mitchell (who won gold in this event in Tokyo), Germany’s Emma Hinze and Colombia’s Martha Bayona Pineda.
Then at 10.29 Jack Carlin, who has two medals to his name in Paris, and Hamish Turnbull go in the men’s keirin quarter-finals. Carlin progressed smoothly into the quarter-finals whilst Turnbull had to come through the repechage. The Netherlands’ Harrie Lavreysen, who already has two golds to his name, will be a strong contender as will Australia’s Matthew Richardson, who has won silver and bronze at these Games.
Stay with us for all the action on the final day of track cycling.
