Welsh rider Finucane sets new world sprint record

Emma Finucane set a new world record for the women's flying 200m time-trial at the 2026 UEC Track Elite European Championships in Turkey.

Olympic and former world champion Finucane, 23, took nearly a quarter of a second off the previous best, with a time of 9.759 seconds during qualifying at the Konya velodrome.

Shortly after fellow Great Britain rider Sophie Capewell had become only the second woman ever to ride sub 10 seconds, Finucane eclipsed her team-mate's time of 9.982secs with an average speed of 73.8km/h (45.8mph) to achieve the new world mark.

"I let everyone know that I wanted to break this world record and I think every girl coming into this competition wanted to take the opportunity too," Finucane said.

"I was really nervous to execute the perfect ride and I think I pretty much went out there and did everything I possibly could technically.

"To come away, to look at the board and see 9.759 and break the world record is unbelievable."

The previous record of 9.976secs was set by China's Yuan Liying at the same velodrome last March.

The Welsh rider already holds the world record for the team sprint, which she set with Capewell and Katy Marchant in their gold medal-winning ride at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Finucane was the first British woman to win three medals at a single Olympic Games since 1964, also collecting bronze in both the individual sprint and keirin.

Elsewhere, Joe Truman claimed gold in the men's 1km time trial in a British record of 57.996secs.

Katie Archibald, Millie Couzens, Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Kate Richardson scooped gold in the women's team pursuit.

However, in the men's team pursuit Matthew Bostock, Henry Hobbs, Will Tidball, Ben Wiggins and Ollie Wood had to settle for bronze.