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Jennifer Valente secured a crucial gold medal for USA's chances to stay in the race for the top position in the medal standings. The American cyclist won the women’s omnium event comfortably on August 11, securing her second consecutive gold medal in the event.
Valente started the Scratch race on a high note. She scored 40 points to move to the Tempo race, where she scored 38 points to take her overall total to 78 points. The 29-year-old was sitting with a comfortable lead of eight points after the Tempo race, heading as a clear favorite for the next two rounds.
The defending champion racked up an enormous 40 points in the elimination race to extend her lead to 10 points. Valente then secured the gold medal with a 26-point ride to finish with 144 points. It marked the American cyclist’s second consecutive gold medal in the medal after having won the first at Tokyo Olympics, which notably was USA's first gold medal in women's track cycling.
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Poland’s Daria Pikulik secured the silver medal with 131 points while Ally Wollaston of New Zealand won the bronze with 125 points.
Jennifer Valente's medal has a significant effect on USA's race for the top position in the medal tally as they now have 39 gold medals, with one more potential gold in women's basketball. China has 40 and if USA Basketball does defeat hosts France in the final, the nation will take the top spot in the medal table.
Jennifer Valente Family and Hometown
Jennifer Valente was born on December 24, 1994, in San Diego, California. She was born to parents Kimberly and Thomas Valente and has two brothers, Thomas and James. Valente started track cycling in 2009 and was coached by Mark Whitehead till 2011.
Jennifer Valente Career Achievements
Valente won 12 national titles and one world title in her Junior career. She won the Scratch title at the 2011 UCI Junior Track World Championships and secured bronze in Keirin at the 2011 and 2012 editions of the event.
Valente made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she won a silver medal in the team pursuit competition. The 29-year-old won USA's first gold medal in track cycling at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before winning another gold at Paris 2024.
Jennifer Valente has been part of the UCI Women's Team Virginia's Blue Ridge-Twenty24. She has enjoyed tremendous success in the team pursuit, with her first Olympic medal coming in the same event. The 29-year-old won bronze in the team pursuit at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Valente won the women's omnium title at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. She also secured the gold medal in the team pursuit event at the Paris Olympics 2024.
