Emma Finucane Shatters World Record in Women’s 200m Time Trial
Konya, Turkey – Great Britain’s Emma Finucane has cemented her status as a cycling powerhouse, setting a new world record in the women’s flying 200m time trial at the 2026 UEC Track Elite European Championships. The 23-year-old Olympic and world champion clocked a blistering time of 9.759 seconds at the Konya velodrome, surpassing the previous record by nearly a quarter of a second.
The record-breaking performance came during qualifying, shortly after teammate Sophie Capewell achieved a important milestone of her own, becoming only the second woman to ever record a sub-10 second time. Finucane then raised the bar even higher, exceeding Capewell’s extraordinary 9.982 seconds with an average speed of 73.8km/h (45.8mph).
“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 chance too,” a visibly elated Finucane stated after her record-setting ride. “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 astonishing.”
The previous world record of 9.976 seconds was held by China’s Yuan Liying,set at the same Konya velodrome in March of the previous year. this latest achievement adds to Finucane’s already impressive list of accolades, including a world record in the team sprint – earned alongside Capewell and Katy Marchant at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Finucane’s remarkable performance at the European Championships also saw her become the first British woman to win three medals at a single Olympic Games as 1964, having also secured bronze medals in the individual sprint and keirin events.
Beyond Finucane’s success,the championships saw further British triumphs. Joe Truman claimed gold in the men’s 1km time trial, setting a new British record of 57.996 seconds. The women’s team pursuit squad, comprised of Katie Archibald, Millie Couzens, Josie Knight, Anna Morris, and Kate Richardson, also secured gold. While the men’s team pursuit team of Matthew Bostock, henry Hobbs, Will Tidball, Ben Wiggins, and ollie Wood had to settle for bronze, the overall performance underscores Great Britain’s continued dominance in track cycling.
Keywords: Emma Finucane, cycling, world record, track cycling, UEC Track Elite European Championships, Konya, Great Britain, Sophie Capewell, Yuan Liying, Olympic Games, team sprint, time trial.