Emma Finucane bissa l'oro ai Giochi del Commonwealth di Glasgow: dopo il successo nel team sprint, la 23enne gallese di Carmarthen si è imposta anche nello sprint individuale, battendo in finale l'inglese Sophie Capewell al Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Finucane è la prima donna gallese a vincere due ori nella stessa edizione dei Giochi dai tempi di Kirsty Wade nel 1986.
Doppietta completata da Anna Morris, oro nell'inseguimento individuale sui 4.000 metri: la 31enne, doppia campionessa del mondo, ha superato Josie Knight in finale con il tempo di 4:24.272, dopo che l'inglese aveva firmato la miglior qualifica. Per Morris, che non possedeva una bici da strada fino a quasi vent'anni, è il primo titolo ai Commonwealth, conquistato in una gara corsa per la prima volta sulla distanza dei 4.000 metri.
Galles protagonista assoluto delle prime due serate: sei medaglie, tre delle quali d'oro, con il bronzo di Rhian Edmunds nello sprint. "Questi Giochi sono il momento più alto della mia carriera insieme alle Olimpiadi", ha detto Finucane.
Fonti
- [BBC Sport — Commonwealth Games 2026: Wales golden girls beat England in cycling duel](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/articles/crl7z0xg9e6o)
Commonwealth Games 2026: Finucane and Morris claim cycling gold for Wales in Glasgow
Emma Finucane claimed her second gold in two nights as Wales beat England in a dramatic cycling duel at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow. The 23-year-old from Carmarthen powered to victory in the individual sprint, easing past Great Britain team-mate Sophie Capewell in the final, a day after winning team sprint gold with Rhian Edmunds.
Anna Morris made it a golden double for Wales, dominating Josie Knight in the 4,000m individual pursuit final. The 31-year-old, a double world pursuit champion, timed her ride to perfection to stop the clock at 4:24.272 after Knight had set the fastest qualifying time. Morris' remarkable journey — she did not own a road bike until she was almost 20 and had never set foot in a velodrome — reached a new peak with her first Commonwealth gold. The event was staged over 4,000m for the first time at these Games, having previously been a 3,000m contest.
Finucane's day was pure domination. She set a new Games record of 10.322 seconds in qualifying, eased past reigning Commonwealth and Olympic champion Ellesse Andrews in the quarter-finals, and beat Edmunds in an all-Welsh semi-final before facing Capewell. By adding individual sprint gold to her team success, she became the first Welsh woman to win two golds at the same Commonwealth Games since athlete Kirsty Wade in 1986.
Edmunds picked up a surprise bronze in the sprint, meaning Wales have won six medals — three of them gold — on the opening two nights in Glasgow.
"These Games have been the highlight of my career alongside the Olympics," said Finucane. "It's been amazing what we've achieved as such a small nation."
Sources
- [BBC Sport — Commonwealth Games 2026: Wales golden girls beat England in cycling duel](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/articles/crl7z0xg9e6o)
