Laura Kenny asked Emma Finucane to say her name out loud so she could pronounce it correctly live on air.

But after leading Great Britain to a famous team sprint victory, cycling’s new golden girl underlined why her name will be on everyone’s lips this summer.

Kenny watched from the sidelines as Finucane completed the first leg of an unprecedented treble in Paris alongside Katy Marchant and Sophie Capewell in the women’s team sprint race.

The 21-year-old was given a small lead by her team-mates at the start of the final lap, but the outcome was never in doubt. Give Emma a chance, so the saying goes, and leave the rest to her. And she did.

Finucane, already a world and European champion, is a huge fan of Formula One and his final lap – under the most intense pressure – was Lewis Hamilton-esque. The velodrome exploded in a sea of ​​red, white and blue – and that was just the France fans who couldn’t help but join in the party.

After three days without a gold medal, Team GB needed it. Track cycling is a reliable old friend when it comes to Olympic success and there has been a flurry of gold in Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo.

And Finucane – pronounced Fin-noo-kun, since you asked – is leading the way in the women’s sprint and keirin categories, so don’t bet against that again.

“I’m so proud, honestly,” she said after winning her first gold on her way to potentially becoming the first woman to complete a triple at the Olympics.

“We made it through that journey. I believed we could make it through, but we had to actually do it and celebrate. I’ve never celebrated like this in my life. These two are so special.”

Indeed, Marchant led the opening lap to become the fifth British mother to win an Olympic medal at these Games, and she did so with two-year-old Arthur in the stands, sending them off with a cheer.

“It was all a bit overwhelming for him,” she said. “But to see him here and celebrate him was so special. It means the world.

“He’s an important member of the team and a big part of my journey. He came by the hotel yesterday because I thought I would burst into tears if I saw him in the stands for the first time in two weeks.

“I was very touched.”

Capewell dedicated his medal to his father, Nigel, a Paralympic cyclist who competed in both Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 and died in November 2021.

“Everyone has had a bumpy ride to get here,” he said.

“I’ve had my own personal struggles. I wish my dad was in the stands watching the game, but I know he’s very proud of me, too.”

It certainly would be so.

Her daughter beat New Zealand in a gold medal race in a stiflingly hot velodrome, breaking a world record and giving Britain its first Olympic women’s team sprint title.

Marchant, Capewell and Finucane entered the field as medal contenders behind strong teams such as Germany and China, but gave a hint of their form by breaking the world record in the qualifiers.

In the next round Germany and then New Zealand fell further behind, with eight teams fighting for two places but the English trio went again and beat them.

In the final, Rebecca Petch started like a rocket, taking New Zealand to a 0.133sec first-lap lead over Marchant, but her teammates struggled to keep up and by the time Petch pulled away, Britain was in the lead.

Second-placed Capewell clocked a 13.260sec lap to turn the deficit into a 0.266sec advantage before handing it over to Finucane, who clearly had no chance for New Zealand.

In one place, Team GB bosses will be pleased.

It is hard to underestimate the importance of track cycling in the final medal table, especially if they are to reach the ceiling of the 50-70 target range set for medals.

Kenny is certainly confident. The five-time Olympic champion believes they can win a medal in each of the 12 track events and even surpass the record of seven gold medals they won in Beijing and London.

As a recently retired team member (she left the team in March) and the wife of current sprint coach and Team GB’s most successful Olympian, Jason Kenny, she was probably unlikely to be pessimistic.

But still, this is a pretty bold prediction.

Team GB certainly have a lot to gain. The men’s and women’s team pursuit teams are hoping to regain the Olympic titles they lost in Tokyo, Finucane is favourite to win the individual sprint and keirin titles, while Scotland’s Jack Carlin hopes to emerge from Jason Kenny’s shadow and become king of the men’s sprint.

Carlin and teammates Ed Lowe and Hamish Turnbull were second fastest in qualifying, while the men’s team pursuit quartet of Ethan Hayter, Oliver Wood, Daniel Bigham and Ethan Vernon also achieved the same feat.

If it sounds ominous, that’s because it is. The cyclical gold rush has begun.

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