Great Britain are the only nation to get two riders into the final of the women’s keirin at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Emma Finucane needed a photo to reach the final, where she is joined by Katy Marchant. But Germany’s Emma Hinze will not be joined by Lea Sophie Friedrich, after a touch of wheels. Gaxiola, Andrews and van de Wouw make up the final six.

Quarter Finals

With four to go through each time, these races were more like a two-out elimination: what happened at the back mattered more than the front.

HEAT 1
Through: Friedrich 🇩🇪, Andrews 🇳🇿, Degrendele 🇧🇪, van der Peet 🇳🇱
Out: Yuan 🇨🇳, Clonan 🇦🇺
Friedrich, drawn six, twitched before the pacer exited, prompting van der Peet and Andrews into action. They collectively swarmed over the top, and suddenly Degrendele had gone from front to back. Into the final lap, the Belgian rider watched the inside open up for her. She bumped shoulders with van der Peet, who had a fight on her hands to make fourth. As they crossed the line, the Dutch rider went down, taking out the Chinese rider, who landed on Degrendele’s back wheel – and the Belgian’s disc wheel became more of a deep-section.

HEAT 2
Through: van de Wouw 🇳🇱, Finucane 🇬🇧, Petch 🇳🇿, Ohta 🇯🇵
Out: Guo 🇨🇳, Mitchell 🇨🇦
Reigning sprint champ Mitchell started at the back, and stayed there. China’s Guo went from second to second-last as van de Wouw and Finucane launched early attacks. As the finish line approached, Ohta lost contact with the front three, but had enough on Guo to secure the vital fourth place.

HEAT 3
Through: Gros 🇫🇷, Hinze 🇩🇪, Marchant 🇬🇧, Gaxiola 🇲🇽
Out: Sato 🇯🇵, Genest 🇨🇦
Maybe the toughest heat of the three. Genest found herself trapped at the back as Gaxiola, Marchant and Sato stacked up. Marchant moved into a gap to claim a qualifying spot behind Gros and Hinze. Sato again finished strongly but couldn’t get ahead of the Mexican.

Semi finals

Three places in the medal race up for grabs in our two semi finals.

HEAT 1
Through: Andrews 🇳🇿, Gaxiola 🇲🇽, Finucane 🇬🇧
Out: van der Peet 🇳🇱, Petch 🇳🇿, Friedrich 🇩🇪
Gaxiola came from the back to the front early on. Andrews didn’t like that, and slotted in ahead of the Mexican. Disaster for Friedrich who touched van der Peet’s rear wheel into corner two on the last lap, sending her up the track and out of contention. Relief for the favourite Finucane who almost got caught by the Dutch rider for the final place in the final.

HEAT 2
Through: van de Wouw 🇳🇱, Marchant 🇬🇧, Hinze 🇩🇪
Out: Degrendele 🇧🇪, Gros 🇫🇷, Ohta 🇯🇵
Hinze claims the front ahead of Marchant, with van de Wouw moving up from the back. Ohta sees the danger and moves up the track into second. Gros tries to do likewise but finds her path blocked by Marchant. Hinze moves up on the inside. Marchant gets on Ohta’s wheel. Gros tries to follow, but comes under pressure from Degrendele on her inside: she is pushed up the track and out of contention.