Three athletes born within months of each other in 2002 have already accumulated an extraordinary collection of medals at sport's highest level. Keely Hodgkinson, Amy Hunt and Emma Finucane have combined to win 17 Olympic, world and European titles, establishing themselves as a generation of British sporting excellence. Finucane will compete at this week's World Track Championships in Shanghai, hoping to add to her medal haul and reclaim the world champion's rainbow stripes.
The trio's achievements span multiple disciplines. Hodgkinson competes in middle-distance running, Hunt in sprinting, and Finucane in track cycling. Beyond their individual successes, they have become symbols of a new approach to athletic performance that blends confidence, preparation and self-expression.
According to reports of the European Athletics Championships, Hunt won gold in the 100 metres on 10 August 2026 in Birmingham. She followed this with a second gold in the 200 metres on 13 August, clocking a season's best of 22.19 seconds. Finucane, meanwhile, won three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow for Wales, becoming the first Welsh woman to claim three golds at a single Games.
Finucane has spoken admiringly of how her peers approach competition. She highlighted Hunt's distinctive style and Hodgkinson's recent performance in a specially-designed suit that merged fashion with athletic performance.
How confidence shapes performance
The 23-year-old cyclist believes that feeling assured and in control translates directly to results on the track.
"Ultimately when I feel confident and unstoppable on the track, I feel like I can do anything,"Finucane explained.
She draws inspiration from how her contemporaries prepare mentally and physically for competition.
"Like Keely [Hodgkinson] having her nails done and wearing her suit, which I thought was iconic, and then Amy Hunt, she gets her nails done and people do their makeup routines before racing because at the end of the day you're going out to perform. We perform on the track and I think it's pretty cool that I feel empowered when I do it."
This philosophy extends beyond mere aesthetics. For Finucane, the finishing touches—whether nails, hair or makeup—represent a deliberate psychological strategy to enter competition in the strongest possible mindset.
What does 'fashion, speed and science' mean?
Hodgkinson's framework of combining these three elements has resonated with Finucane and reflects a broader shift in how elite athletes approach their craft. Speed emerges from countless hours of training at Manchester's velodrome and in the gymnasium. Science comes from the British cycling team's continuous investment in cutting-edge equipment, with bikes and helmets tested rigorously in wind tunnels and on the track to gain marginal advantages.
Fashion represents the psychological dimension—the confidence-building rituals that athletes employ in the final stages before competition.
"Leading up to a comp you're physically pushing yourself to a limit in the gym and on the track,"Finucane said.
"You're absolutely going to breaking point because you want to get physically the best you can be. But then why not, in the final stages, feel confident about yourself on the track? When I get my nails done or my hair done, little things like that are the final touches."
For Finucane, this approach addresses a gap in how sport discusses athlete wellbeing.
"It's not really spoken about how you're feeling and how confident you need to be. How you want to express the way you look by doing different makeup or having different hair or things like that. It's really cool that sport allows you to do that. You can be muscly but you can also wear makeup and do really cool things with your body."
What are Finucane's targets in Shanghai?
The World Track Championships run from Wednesday 14 October to Sunday 18 October in Shanghai, China, and represent the first qualifying event for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Finucane competes as part of a 19-strong British team and will race in three disciplines: the team sprint, individual sprint and keirin.
This is her fifth appearance at the World Championships. Last year she won two silver medals, finishes she has characterised as disappointing given her previous success. In 2023, Finucane claimed the world champion's rainbow stripes in Glasgow, a title she is determined to reclaim.
The build-up to the championships has been disrupted by the withdrawal of her partner and fellow cyclist Matt Richardson, who was withdrawn from the team amid reports of an investigation into alleged misconduct.
Despite the setback, Finucane has adopted a new mental framework for handling disappointment.
"It's something I learned last year actually,"she reflected.
"I came fifth or sixth in the sprint competition and I felt I failed. It's how you pick yourself up from that. I went into the keirin and I got second, which is the best keirin result I've ever had, so I was able to turn that around."
Her coach Scott Pollock has encouraged a perspective that reframes setbacks as learning opportunities rather than failures.
"Essentially Worlds is a stepping stone to get to LA. I spoke to Scott (Pollock, her coach) and he said we either go there to win or we learn. I like that approach. I don't fail. I win or learn something about myself."
What is the path to Los Angeles 2028?
The World Championships serve as a crucial stepping stone toward the next Olympic Games. Earlier in 2026, Finucane and teammate Sophie Capewell travelled to Los Angeles to familiarise themselves with the velodrome where they will compete in two years' time. This early reconnaissance allows the team to begin adapting to the venue's specific characteristics and conditions.
The championships offer Finucane an opportunity to build momentum and confidence ahead of the longer Olympic cycle. While Shanghai represents an important milestone, her ultimate goal remains claiming gold in Los Angeles.
How to watch
Coverage of the 2026 Tissot UCI Track World Championships will be broadcast across multiple platforms:
Wednesday, 14 October – 11:20-13:40 (BST)
Thursday, 15 October – 09:50-13:55
Friday, 16 October – 09:50-14:05
Saturday, 17 October – 10:20-14:05 and 10:15-14:15
Sunday, 18 October – 04:00-05:30 and 06:30-10:30
