{"id":9180,"date":"2023-12-18T00:55:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T05:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/bbc-cymru-wales-sports-personality-of-the-year-2023-cyclist-emma-finucane-wins\/18\/12\/2023\/"},"modified":"2023-12-18T00:55:18","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T05:55:18","slug":"bbc-cymru-wales-sports-personality-of-the-year-2023-cyclist-emma-finucane-wins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/bbc-cymru-wales-sports-personality-of-the-year-2023-cyclist-emma-finucane-wins\/18\/12\/2023\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2023: Cyclist Emma Finucane wins"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In the early evening of Wednesday, 9 August, Finucane was flat on her back on the track inside Glasgow’s Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome for the second time in four days. <\/p>\n

The emotions on each of those occasions, though, were quite different. <\/p>\n

Having already been part of the Great Britain trio who set a world record in the team sprint final – only to be edged into second place when Germany went even quicker – Finucane had high hopes for her second event, the keirin. <\/p>\n

However, a crash at the quarter-final stage left her on the boards in tears. Afterwards she said she left the track “so angry” and admitted to crying more than she expected.<\/p>\n

Yet it was a disappointment Finucane used to fuel her golden success, as she flew around the track to set the best time ever recorded at sea level in her 200m qualifying ride.<\/p>\n

She then won every match sprint as she swept her way to a first world title<\/a>. It was a victory that came with more tears – even in between her two wins in the best-of-three-heat final against Germany’s Lea Sophie Friedrich.<\/p>\n

“Loads of people don’t really know, but I had to go to the toilets to cry and sort myself out because I was so nervous,” she told BBC Sport Wales.<\/p>\n

“The pressure, the expectation – you are in front of a home crowd and everybody is expecting you to win, especially being 1-0 up, and you’re coming into that thinking ‘right this is it’.<\/p>\n

“You just have to take it all in, focus and get the task done.<\/p>\n

“When I crossed the finish line it was such a relief, I was like ‘I’ve done it’. All the hard work, the training hours, all the what-ifs, what can I do, what can I not do, and it all just came together.<\/p>\n

“It was literally like a fairytale and when I crossed the line, I was in disbelief.<\/p>\n

“I put my hand over my mouth because I was like ‘oh my gosh, I’ve won’. It’s something I’ll never forget, it was such a special moment.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In the early evening of Wednesday, 9 August, Finucane was flat on her back on the track inside Glasgow’s Sir Chris Hoy