Emma Finucane Wins Historic Fourth Commonwealth Gold
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- Emma Finucane became the first rider in history to win four track cycling golds at a single Commonwealth Games, claiming keirin gold on the final day in Glasgow after starting her day at 9am in the first heat.
- Finucane's four titles — team sprint (with Rhian Edmunds and Lowri Thomas), individual sprint, 1,000m time trial, and keirin — surpassed Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Jason Kenny, Becky North, and Anna Meares, none of whom won four at one Games, and the feat came at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
- The 23-year-old from Carmarthen was named Wales' flag bearer for the closing ceremony and became the most successful Welsh woman in Commonwealth Games history.
- Welsh cycling recorded 11 podium finishes (6 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze) in Glasgow, the most successful Commonwealth return for the sport.
- Finucane credited team-mate Lewis Oliva's speech about Welsh identity with igniting her, saying she heard the Welsh anthem four times during the Games and was 'an absolute mess' on the podium for the final one.
- The Olympic champion (gold at 21) deferred questions about the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, saying she has World Championships in 10 weeks and is going on holiday with her sister first.
Why it matters: At 23, Finucane has now surpassed the Commonwealth gold hauls of Hoy, Pendleton, and Kenny at a single Games — figures she herself called 'icons' and 'absolute legends' — and her unprecedented four-in-one-Games feat happened on Hoy's own named velodrome. Already an Olympic champion at 21, she now has World Championships in 10 weeks and LA 2028 ahead, putting her on track to challenge for the all-time sprint cycling record books.
