Paris Olympics: Ellesse Andrews takes gold for New Zealand in women's Keirin

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Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) raced a flawless women's Keirin gold medal final at the Paris Olympic Games, holding the front and powering to the line ahead of Hetty van de Wouw (Netherlands). 

Emma Finucane (Great Britain) finished in the bronze medal position, surprisingly fading in the final stretch and passed by her Dutch rival.

“It’s very special," Andrews said. "In Tokyo, I was so young and really wanted to go in there and make the final. So to get the silver medal was so special to me at that time and is still so special to me now. 

"To come here and do one better is incredible, but I think what I’m most happy about is I was able to leave it all on the track and empty the tank fully. I’m very happy with my performance, and the fact that it got me gold was a plus.”

Andrews sailed through her qualifying heat to move onto the second round without having to go through repechages on Wednesday. In the quarterfinal, however, she saved her legs and finished second behind Germany's Lea Friedrich. Andrews claimed the semifinal heat over Mexico's Daniela Gaxiola and then used her power to claim the gold medal in the final race.

Van de Wouw delivered the first sprint medal for the Netherlands after they finished fourth in the team sprint behind Germany, while Finucane, winner of the gold medal in the team sprint, brought home her second medal with bronze.

"Of course, I raced for gold," Van de Wouw said, "I knew I would be happy if I was on the podium, so I’m very happy to finish it off. I’ve been fourth many times, so I’m very happy to finish on the podium.

“I feel like getting fourth so many times really gives you that energy because you feel like, “OK, I hate this place and I just want to get rewarded once'. It gives me strength."

Finucane isn't a Keirin specialist but put up a big fight to come home with the medal.

"It was a really tight race, and I knew going into that final it was really stacked. We were really strong girls out there, and I even scraped by the semis to make it," she said.

"I knew I had to put up a fight, and I left everything out on the track. To come away with a bronze medal, I couldn't believe it.

"It meant everything to have my family and friends here to support me, it means the world. I can't believe I'm a double Olympic medallist now. It's kind of crazy."

Katy Marchant (Great Britain), Emma Hinze (Germany) and Gaxiola rounded out the top six, while Lea Friedrich (Germany) won the consolation final ahead of France's Mathilde Gros.

Qualifying

The first day of racing in the women’s Keirin at the Paris Olympic Games saw Emma Hinze (Germany) set the best time in the first round, 10.979 kph, and move on to the quarterfinals. Also winning one of the five heats was Tokyo silver medallist and reigning world champion Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand).

A bronze medallist in the event three years ago, Lauriane Genest (Canada) had to go through the repechage round to qualify, as did her teammate Kelsey Mitchell and Katy Marchant (Great Britain). 

Repechages