Emma Finucane was still barely awake when she climbed onto her bike at 9am on the final day of the Commonwealth Games. Twelve hours later, she would make history as the first cyclist ever to win four gold medals at a single Games. But at that moment, she was simply trying to get through the first heat of the keirin event.
The 23-year-old from Carmarthen, Wales, pulled it off in style. She swept all four track cycling events she entered: the team sprint, individual sprint, 1,000-meter time trial, and keirin. When it was over, Finucane carried the Welsh flag into the closing ceremony, her eyes red from tears she could no longer hold back.
The achievement placed her in rare company. Not even legendary British cyclists like Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, or Jason Kenny had ever won four Commonwealth titles at one Games. Finucane was asked about the comparison afterward.
"They are icons of the sport. Absolute legends," she said. "To even have my name beside them is insane. I am not in their class, but it's something you don't think about as an athlete. We're in a little bubble in here."
But Finucane did acknowledge the weight of the moment. "The 10-year-old Emma is screaming inside about what is going on," she said. "I don't think I will ever believe I've created history here, and I can't believe little me has done this."
The, which means pressure in Chinese, was enormous. Media had been asking all week whether she could pull off all four golds. A semi-final scare nearly ended her dream before she even reached the final. "I wanted to ride a race I was proud of," Finucane said. "I rode it with confidence. I got myself to the front and just went out there and left everything on the track."
This was not a solo triumph. Wales cycling collected 11 medals in Glasgow, including six gold, three silver, and two bronze, their most successful Commonwealth Games ever. Finucane had teammates Rhian Edmunds and Lowri Thomas alongside her for the team sprint. She heard the Welsh anthem four times over four days.
"I was an absolute mess on the podium," Finucane admitted. "I saw my family in front of me, the Welsh flag, and then all my team-mates also draped in the red flag. Things like this happen once every four years, and I wanted to stand on that top spot, sing the anthem, and live in the moment."
Her sister was crying in the crowd. Her parents watched through teary eyes. Her boyfriend, Matthew Richardson, was in Japan but had been keeping in touch throughout.
Finucane now has four gold and two bronze medals across two Commonwealth Games. She had already become an Olympic champion at 21 in Paris, where she won three medals including one gold. Now she is simply the most successful Welsh woman in the history of the Games. And at 23, she appears to be just getting started.