New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews turned Olympic silver in Tokyo into Parisian gold, with victory in the women’s keirin final.
Starting from first position, directly behind the pacer, reigning world champion Andrews was overlapped by Mexico’s Gaxiola as racing got properly underway. But she stayed calm and reclaimed the front with two laps to go.
Then with the favourite, Great Britain’s Emma Finucane drawing alongside, she dug deep to maintain her lead, and claim a decisive victory.
‘I think it’s surreal,’ she told New Zealand’s Sky Sport. ‘I like to not get too overwhelmed or over-worked before the race. I was just thinking about the simple things and for me it was just another round of keirin.’
Andrews’s father and coach Jon was at track centre. ‘Most of the time your parents are on the other side of the fence, so to have one on this side of the fence with me is pretty unusual for this sport, but very special.’
Finucane had to make do with bronze, with the Netherlands’ van de Wouw snatching silver from her in the last few metres.
But Finucane was in positive spirits, telling the BBC: ‘It’s about giving back to my family. It’s about them watching me race my bike with a smile on my face.
‘I couldn’t have given any more today. Congrats to Ellesse and to Hetty. To get that bronze medal was… unreal. I can’t believe it.’
Emma Hinze’s wait for Olympic gold continues; she finished fifth behind Britain’s Katy Marchant, with Daniela Gaxiola of Mexico in sixth. Lea Sophie Friedrich won the minor final ahead of France’s Mathilde Gros.
