Welsh cycling star Emma Finucane was pipped to World Championship gold on Wednesday, just days after her partner Matthew Richardson was sent home from Team GB's squad over allegations of misconduct.
Finucane, 23, was forced to settle for silver in the women's team sprint at the Track Cycling World Championships, losing out to host nation China. Despite qualifying in top spot, they missed out on gold by just one-third of a second - making it a second successive world silver medal for Finucane in the event - having finished second to the Netherlands last year.
After team-mate Sophie Capewell's saddle snapped mid-race, Finucane was left with too much time to make up on China.
Richardson sent home from Worlds
It was the latest blow for Finucane, with her partner Richardson having been sent home by the Great Britain squad at the start of this week.
Richardson, who previously represented Australia, was sent home after being placed under investigation by British Cycling over allegations of racism. In a statement, the 27-year-old said he would be fully co-operating with the investigation.
The 27-year-old had been in Shanghai for the World Championships, where he had been expected to bring home three medals.
Allegations of racial slurs
Instead, he was expelled after becoming the subject of an investigation into serious allegations of using racial slurs - with the complaint coming from another rider.
According to the Times, Richardson has been accused of making discriminatory remarks about people from minority backgrounds in text conversations.
He is accused of not only regularly using the N-word, but joking about how often he says it.
Richardson's statement
Responding to the allegations in a statement, Richardson said: “I understand the seriousness of what has been raised in recent reports about my withdrawal from the 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
“British Cycling has said it looks into matters like this through its established procedures. I will co-operate fully with its processes.
“I assure everyone that I will do so properly, and appropriately and with contrition for the feelings of anyone who might be affected.
“Out of fairness to everyone involved, and on advice, like British Cycling, I will not be commenting further until any process is complete.
“I am deeply disappointed to miss the World Championships, and I wish the Great Britain team and every rider competing the very best.”
Finucane's dominant season
Having defected from Australia just a week after winning medals for the country at the Paris Olympics in 2024, Richardson had been tipped to challenge for further medals at the next Olympics in LA.
Finucane is one of British cycling's biggest stars, currently in the midst of one of her most dominant season to date.
This season, she has set a world record in the flying 200m en route to winning a European title in February, won three events at the National Championships, four at the Commonwealth Games, and also won at the UCI World Cups in Hong Kong and Malaysia.
As such, the pair seemed to be a couple that could challenge Jason and Laura Kenny - UK's cycling's other celebrated partnership - in terms of honours.
They first met in 2022 at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, before their relationship turned serious when Finucane was training in Adelaide two years ago.
Instead, Richardson's future in the sport has been thrown into severe doubt - with the same Times investigation seeing team-mates accuse him of having a "God complex".
