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Victory in the women’s pursuit secured Josie Knight’s first international individual title
Josie Knight won gold on the final day of the European Track Cycling Championships to help Great Britain finish top of the medal table.
Knight won women’s individual pursuit by just three thousandths of a second ahead of Germany’s Franziska Brausse.
Anna Morris took bronze in the same event, while Emma Finucane won silver in the women’s keirin.
Britain end with six golds and 14 medals overall in Apeldoorn – their best tally at a European Championships.
“I’m over the moon, to be honest,” said Knight, who had trailed Brausse by more than a second with five laps to go.
“It’s my first gold medal of the championships but it’s also my first international championship title as an individual and that’s really special because I’ve always been part of the team pursuit.”
Finucane, who ended the championships with three medals after winning individual sprint gold and team sprint silver, said the event can give Great Britain momentum as they look ahead to the Paris Olympics, which start in July.
“Honestly the vibes in our pen have been unreal throughout the whole competition. Whether they were winning or losing, everyone’s cheering for each other and got each other’s back,” Finucane said.
“I feel like the momentum has really carried on throughout the week. This is a record-breaking Europeans and I can really feel that and it’s exciting because we’re in 2024 and the Olympics are approaching so I feel like this is really good momentum for GB.”
Hamish Turnbull narrowly missed out on a bronze medal after finishing fourth in the men’s keirin, with Jack Carlin finishing seventh.
Will Perrett finished fifth in the men’s points race, while Britain were forced to withdraw 12 laps into the women’s Madison after Elinor Barker was involved in a crash and was advised not to continue.