Emma Finucane: Team GB star adds third medal to Paris 2024 haul with bronze in sprint race, Ellesse Andrews wins gold
Updated 11/08/2024 at 16:07 GMT+1
Emma Finucane won her third medal at Paris 2024 with bronze in the women’s sprint race. After defeat to Ellesse Andrews in the semi-final, the 21-year-old Team GB star overcame Hetty van de Wouw 2-0 in the bronze medal race to add to her impressive haul in the French capital. Andrews made light work of world record holder Lea Friedrich in the final, as she became a double Olympic champion.
Finucane 'exhausted' after 'rollercoaster' week ends with bronze in sprint
Video credit: TNT Sports
Emma Finucane sealed bronze in the women’s sprint race with a stylish victory against the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw on the final day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Team GB star and reigning world champion became the first British woman to win three medals in a single Olympic Games for 60 years.
Earlier in the Games, the 21-year-old came out on top in the team sprint and claimed bronze in the keirin, before she wrapped up a hugely impressive Olympics debut in the French capital with success in the sprint.
“I can’t believe I finished on a high, winning a race to finish my Olympics. It is such an unreal feeling," Finucane told Eurosport.
"That is why I celebrated so much, because I want to take everything in that I can. I am just so proud, and I hope I made them [her family] proud.
"I know they love me no matter what and that’s how I raced today, raced off everyone being proud of me and everyone loving me, no matter where I came, if I got first, second or fourth.
"This bronze medal means everything to me."
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'She's right up there with the best' - Finucane stays strong to grab sprint bronze for GB
Video credit: TNT Sports
Finucane was narrowly denied the chance to race for her second gold medal of the Games after she lost to New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews in the semi-final.
Andrews had to be on top form to stop Finucane, and she took the momentum into the final as she stormed to gold against Lea Friedrich, which confirmed her status as a double Olympic champion.
The 24-year-old claimed gold in the keirin earlier this week – her maiden Olympic gold medal – and added a second with a dominant win over her German opponent.
After beating world record holder Friedrich in the opening leg of the final, Andrews surged to victory once more in the second leg and won by a margin of 0.624 seconds to claim more Olympic glory.
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No double gold for Finucane
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Watch enthralling finale as Team GB clinch glorious gold in team sprint final
Video credit: TNT Sports
Finucane failed to make it a double gold-winning Olympic campaign following her semi-final exit, where she was beaten by Andrews in the best-of-three semi-final.
Andrews clinched the first two races by 0.096s and 0.050s respectively, which meant the New Zealander swiftly advanced to the final without the need for a decider.
Finucane’s bronze medal race opponent Van de Wouw attempted to become the first Dutch woman to reach the individual sprint final at the Olympics, but Friedrich was too strong as she joined Andrews in the final.
Valente wins second gold of Games
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Jennifer Valente celebrates after winning gold medal in the women's omnium at Paris 2024.
Image credit: Getty Images
Finucane may not have swooped a double gold in Paris this time, but American Jennifer Valente managed the feat after she claimed victory in the women's omnium to defend her title.
Valente, who also won gold as part of Team USA's team pursuit earlier in the Games, scored 144 points, beating her closest rival Daria Pikulik of Poland to gold by 13 points.
Pikulik took the silver, while New Zealand's Ally Wollaston settled for bronze.
GB's Neah Evans gave a good account of herself in the final points race to score 37 points and lift herself from second bottom to 15th overall after crashing out in the scratch race.
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer
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