Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant Claim Gold

Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant ignited Great Britain’s medal charge in the Paris velodrome by clinching their first Olympic women’s team sprint gold. The trio set a new world record of 45.186 seconds, their third of the session to defeat New Zealand. This achievement marks Britain’s inaugural women’s team sprint medal at the Olympics.

“We absolutely nailed it, breaking three world records and becoming Olympic champions,” said Marchant. Additionally, Finucane expressed her pride, emphasizing the hard work and perseverance that led to their victory. “We smashed it, and no one can take this off us now. We’re always going to be Olympic team sprint champions,” she added.

Initially, the British trio started strong at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome, shaving 0.15 seconds off the previous world record in qualifying. As the day progressed, they reclaimed the record from Germany and New Zealand. This achievement secured their spot in the gold-medal race with a time of 45.338 seconds. In the final, they overcame an early deficit.

Emma Finucane crossed the finish line 0.473 seconds ahead of New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews, buoyed by the support of British fans. Meanwhile, Germany took bronze by defeating the Netherlands. Looking ahead, Finucane, seen as a rising sprinting star, is set to compete in the keirin and individual sprint, the event in which she is the world champion.

Capewell will also race in the individual sprint while Marchant, a bronze medallist from Rio 2016 will contest the keirin. Historically, Great Britain did not qualify for the women’s team sprint in the Rio and Tokyo Olympics and Victoria Pendleton and Jess Varnish were disqualified from the final at London 2012. Consequently, the British squad vowed to “change the narrative” in 2019.

They aimed to shed their reputation as the “weakest link” in British Cycling. Subsequently, under the guidance of coaches Kaarle McCulloch and Scott Pollock, the team has flourished. Marchant, who took time off to have her son, is now the European champion in the 500m time trial while Finucane holds the world champion’s rainbow jersey. Alongside Capewell, the trio topped the world rankings entering Paris.

They executed a near-perfect performance, securing Team GB’s 11th gold of the Games. Reflecting on their achievement, Capewell, who lost her father, a two-time British Paralympian, in 2021, said, “The support and journey to get here have been incredible. I know my dad was proud of me.” Furthermore, she added, “This team sprint has been almost the bane of our existence. We knew we had the talent, and now it’s all come together.”