Hunt and Hodgkinson inspire Finucane’s gold hunt – watch World Championships on BBC
Emma Finucane says feeling confident through personal touches such as having her nails or hair done can help her perform on the track. Inspired by fellow British athletes Keely Hodgkinson and Amy Hunt, she is taking that approach into the World Track Championships as she seeks to return to the top of the podium.
Finucane, 23, is part of a 19-strong British team competing in Shanghai from Wednesday to Sunday, in an event that begins qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She will race in the team sprint, individual sprint and keirin, aiming to improve on last year’s two world silver medals. Her preparation combines training, equipment developed through testing, and the confidence she says comes from expressing herself.
- Finucane says personal style helps her feel confident on the track.
- She will contest three events at the World Track Championships in Shanghai.
- The championships are the first qualifying event for LA 2028.
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Track cycling is raced on a steep, oval indoor track, with events that test riders’ speed and tactics. In the team sprint, riders take turns leading; the individual sprint is a short head-to-head race, while the keirin is a bunch race that starts behind a motorised pacer.
Emma Finucane is a British sprinter who won two silver medals at the previous World Track Championships. She is racing in three events in Shanghai, where results also begin the qualification process for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Finucane has said that personal choices such as having her hair or nails done help her feel confident, alongside training and equipment testing. She has also named British athletes Keely Hodgkinson and Amy Hunt as inspirations; Hodgkinson competes in middle-distance running and Hunt in sprinting.