Emma turns her red mist into golden moment

THIS was anyone's final before it began, one-hundredth of a second splitting New Zealand and Great Britain on their qualifying rides, both, incidentally, world records, set just minutes apart.

- Malik Ouzia

It was still anyone's after one lap, the Kiwis just in front, and after two, even with Britain having edged into a slender lead. So, over to you, Emma Finucane, billed as British cycling's potential breakout, cut-through sensation of these Games. "Honestly, I just saw red," said the 21-year-old. Thirteen seconds later, it was gold.

On the opening night of track action here at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines National Velodrome, Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant got a familiar ball rolling in alien style, claiming Britain's first-ever Olympic title in the women's team sprint with their third world record of the day.

"It doesn't get much better than that, does it?" said Marchant, though in the case of Finucane, in particular, there is expectation, elevated now, that it will.

The individual world champion is targeting three gold medals at her debut Olympics, the first of those ticked off on a night that, to a wider public not yet familiar with her name, will have left quite the first impression.