Emma Finucane looked like she was about to finish the World Cycling Championships with gold before being pipped into third place

Emma Finucane was left to settle for bronze at the Track Cycling World Championships after being dramatically pipped in the closing stages of the women's keirin, with BBC pundits Clare Balding and Laura Kenny reflecting on the difficult circumstances surrounding the Welsh star's preparations.

The 23-year-old had been hoping to finish her campaign in Shanghai with another world title, but had to settle for a third medal of the championships after narrowly missing out on gold despite leading until the final second. The race was won by Russian cyclist Alina Lysenko, with Germany's Lea Sophie Friedrich second.

Finucane's performances have come against a difficult personal backdrop, with her boyfriend Matt Richardson withdrawn from the Great Britain squad on the eve of the competition amid an investigation into allegations of serious misconduct.

Balding acknowledged the circumstances surrounding the Olympic champion as she discussed her performance during the BBC's coverage.

"In terms of the build-up Emma Finucane has had to these World Championships, clearly not the easiest. Matt Richardson is her boyfriend, her partner. He gets suspended and is out of the Championships, literally on the eve of them. There is an awful lot going on," she said.

Fellow BBC pundit Kenny also highlighted the pressure Finucane has faced, while praising the standard of her racing.

"I think she is going to be disappointed with that. The race was technically fantastic and she just ran out of legs. But, yes, there is so much going on for her in the background. She is still really young. To have to deal with all of that and then step up and race at the World Championship. It must feel like there is an awful lot going on," Kenny said.

The former Olympic champion went on to point out that Finucane's medal haul was still an impressive achievement, despite the disappointment of missing out on the top step of the podium.

"It's funny, because she crosses the finish line in third and I'm so gutted for her. But then you only think like that because we now how good she is. She has come away with three medals. That's not rubbish. It's really, really good but we are just sop used to seeing her cross the finish line first. There is still more to come."

Finucane's bronze in the keirin followed silver medals in the individual sprint and women's team sprint earlier in the championships.

In the team sprint, Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Rhianna Parris-Smith qualified fastest but were beaten by hosts China in the gold-medal final. Their hopes were dealt a significant blow when Capewell's saddle broke during the race, leaving Finucane with too much ground to make up on the final lap.

She then reached the individual sprint final, where China's Yuan Liying beat her in straight races to claim the world title.

The keirin offered Finucane another opportunity to fight for gold, but she had to settle for bronze as the championships ended with three medals rather than the individual title she had targeted.

The result comes after an extraordinary season for the Carmarthen-born cyclist, who won four gold medals for Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow over the summer. She also holds multiple world titles and claimed team sprint gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

What happened to Matt Richardson?

Richardson was removed from the British squad on October 12, just days before the championships began in Shanghai, after British Cycling confirmed he had been withdrawn from the team.

The governing body did not initially provide a reason for the decision. However, reports subsequently emerged that the 27-year-old was the subject of an investigation into allegations of serious misconduct, including claims about discriminatory remarks made towards other riders.

British Cycling said it takes allegations of harassment, bullying and discrimination extremely seriously and would not comment on an ongoing investigation.

Richardson, who switched allegiance from Australia to Great Britain after the Paris Olympics, subsequently said he understood the seriousness of the allegations and would co-operate fully with the process.

He had been expected to compete in the team sprint, individual sprint and keirin in Shanghai, having established himself as one of the world's leading male sprinters.

His withdrawal overshadowed the build-up for the British team, with Richardson's absence also affecting preparations for the men's events.