Emma Finucane will bid to make Commonwealth Games history on Sunday after clinching a third gold on a dramatic day of track cycling at Glasgow 2026.
Finucane had already wrapped up the team and individual sprint titles by the time she took to the start line for the women’s kilo, an event she does not usually contest.
She flew round to take another dominant gold and tee up the opportunity to become the first Welsh athlete to win four golds at a single Commonwealth Games when she competes in the keirin.
The 23-year-old insists she is content with her current haul but is a world silver medallist in the keirin and will undoubtedly fancy her chances given the form she has brought to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
More than anything, Finucane loves competing for Wales and will want to hear Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ring out again.
The Welsh national anthem rang out two more times on Saturday night, as Anna Morris claimed her second gold of the Games in the points race to continue an outstanding few days for Welsh cyclists.
She was joined on the podium by compatriot Jess Roberts, who won silver, and the Principality now sits second in the medal table and within touching distance of Australia.
“The Welsh team have been incredible,” said Finucane. “The girls have really shone at these Games. We’ve done so, so well. Seeing one of our athletes on the podium just minutes before I stepped onto the podium myself was iconic.
“As a small nation, we have so much pride. The support we’ve had has been amazing, and I think we’ve really put the dragon on the track. We’ve embraced every moment.
“We’ve raced with pride and passion, and that’s why we’ve come away with so many medals. I’m really proud to be Welsh and I can’t wait to get out there again. Anything’s a bonus now. I didn’t think I’d win three gold medals. I came here with a dream, and I feel like I’m living an absolute movie.
“I’m just going to go into it and leave everything out on the track. I love a keirin race, so I’m going to get on my bike, race the riders, get stuck in and see what happens.
“I’ll keep dreaming. Whatever happens, I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved.”
Finucane has dominated the headlines but Morris is also putting together a storming Games in Glasgow, backing up her individual pursuit title with gold in the points race.
The 31-year-old was disqualified from the scratch race on Friday after initially finishing second, but shrugged off the disappointment to lead a Welsh one-two ahead of Roberts.
“Yesterday was about refocusing and resetting,” she said.“I spent some time watching the races back, taking the lessons from them and learning what I could.
“I just gave it everything I had in that final sprint. When I came off the track, I felt pretty sick after the effort. It was just a really tough race.”
Saturday also saw its fair share of crashes, with Neil Fachie picking himself up off the boards to win the seventh and final Commonwealth gold of his career.
Fachie was set to say goodbye to the sport regardless of what happened but he looked set for a drab ending when he and pilot Aaron Pope crashed in the men’s tandem B sprint against Wales’ James Ball and Matthew Rotherham.
The race was restarted and a bruised but fired up Scottish pair got back in the saddle to seal an emotional victory.
“I said to a few people afterwards it’s almost like they poked the bear and we were ready,” said Fachie. “It might only be a little bear, but it’s quite an angry one. I was definitely an angry bear.”
The afternoon session concluded with a huge crash in the men’s scratch race, which saw nine riders dramatically wiped out on the penultimate lap.
England’s Henry Hobbs was the main beneficiary, as the teenager kept his head to sprint for the line, popping a wheelie while he did it. Teammate Ethan Vernon took bronze behind New Zealand’s Thomas Sexton.
“To hear a massive crash behind you puts off a bit but I just had to lock back in and get it done,” said Hobbs. “It gives me a lot of confidence knowing I’ve got what it takes to win these sort of races in this sort of field.
“It’s really exciting in terms of where this could take me. Hopefully I can carry on this sort of trajectory and work towards the next few years.”
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