Wikipedia

Jennifer Valente

Jennifer Marie Valente (born December 24, 1994) is an American professional racing cyclist who is a two-time gold medalist in women's omnium at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics. As part of the U.S. team, she has also won the team pursuit at the Paris Olympics. Valente has ridden for UCI Women's Team Virginia's Blue Ridge–TWENTY24.[4] She has won seven gold medals in the World Championships and five Olympic medals, making her the most decorated U.S. female cyclist in Olympic history.[5]

Jennifer Valente
Valente in 2018
Personal information
Full nameJennifer Marie Valente
Born (1994-12-24) December 24, 1994 (age 29)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1]
Weight165 lb (75 kg)[1]
Team information
Current teamVirginia's Blue Ridge–TWENTY24
Discipline
  • Track
  • Road
RoleRider
Rider typePursuitist (track)
Amateur team
2014Twenty16
Professional teams
2013Exergy Twenty16[2]
2015–Twenty16 p/b Sho-Air[3]
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 3 1 1
World Championships 7 5 7
Pan American Games 1 1 0
Pan American Championships 20 1 4
Total 31 8 12
Women's track cycling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Omnium
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Omnium
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Team pursuit
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team pursuit
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Team pursuit
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 London Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2017 Hong Kong Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2018 Apeldoorn Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2020 Berlin Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2022 Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Omnium
Gold medal – first place 2023 Glasgow Scratch
Gold medal – first place 2023 Glasgow Omnium
Silver medal – second place 2015 Yvelines Individual pursuit
Silver medal – second place 2018 Apeldoorn Points race
Silver medal – second place 2020 Berlin Scratch
Silver medal – second place 2020 Berlin Points race
Silver medal – second place 2024 Ballerup Scratch
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Pruszków Omnium
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Roubaix Scratch
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Roubaix Elimination
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Elimination
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Points race
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Glasgow Elimination
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Ballerup Elimination
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2019 Lima Omnium
Silver medal – second place 2015 Toronto Team pursuit
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Aguascalientes Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2015 Santiago Scratch
Gold medal – first place 2015 Santiago Individual pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2015 Santiago Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2017 Couva Omnium
Gold medal – first place 2017 Couva Points race
Gold medal – first place 2017 Couva Scratch
Gold medal – first place 2018 Aguascalientes Omnium
Gold medal – first place 2018 Aguascalientes Points race
Gold medal – first place 2018 Aguascalientes Scratch
Gold medal – first place 2018 Aguascalientes Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2019 Cochabamba Omnium
Gold medal – first place 2019 Cochabamba Scratch
Gold medal – first place 2019 Cochabamba Points race
Gold medal – first place 2019 Cochabamba Madison
Gold medal – first place 2024 Los Angeles Omnium
Gold medal – first place 2024 Los Angeles Scratch
Gold medal – first place 2024 Los Angeles Points race
Gold medal – first place 2024 Los Angeles Elimination
Gold medal – first place 2024 Los Angeles Madison
Silver medal – second place 2019 Cochabamba Team pursuit
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Mar del Plata Keirin
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Mar del Plata Scratch
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Mar del Plata Team pursuit
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Aguascalientes Omnium

Career

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She enjoyed a successful junior career, winning 12 national titles and one world junior title.[6] At the 2011 and 2012 UCI Junior Track World Championships she won three medals, a gold medal in the scratch race and two bronze medals in the keirin.[7]

In the individual pursuit she won a silver medal at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. In the team pursuit she has won three gold medals at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships and a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games.

In June 2021, she qualified to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[8] She took the gold medal in the women's omnium, beating reigning World champion Yumi Kajihara of Japan. This was the first women's track cycling gold medal for the United States.[9]

At the 2023 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Valente became the most decorated American track cyclist in history, winning her 17th World Championship medal. She surpassed the previous recordholder, Sarah Hammer, who has fifteen.[10]

In August 2024, she won her second and third Olympic gold medals, in the team pursuit and omnium. Valente's team pursuit gold medal was the first-ever in U.S. history. In both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics the women's omnium was one of the final events of the competition. As such, her gold medals helped the United States to come from behind and edge China in the overall medal count in Tokyo and Paris.[11][12]

Major results

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2011
UCI Junior Track World Championships
1st   Scratch
3rd   Keirin
2012
1st   Keirin, National Track Championships[13]
3rd   Keirin, UCI Junior Track World Championships
Pan American Track Championships
3rd   Keirin
3rd   Scratch
3rd   Team pursuit
2013
2nd   Team pursuit, Los Angeles Grand Prix (with Kimberly Geist, Sarah Hammer and Ruth Winder)
2014
Pan American Track Championships
1st   Team pursuit (with Amber Gaffney, Kimberly Geist and Elizabeth Newell)
3rd   Omnium
1st   Omnium, National Track Championships[14]
1st   Omnium, Grand Prix of Colorado Spring
2015
2nd   Individual pursuit, UCI Track World Championships
Pan American Track Championships
1st   Individual pursuit
1st   Scratch
1st   Team pursuit (with Kelly Catlin, Sarah Hammer and Ruth Winder)
National Track Championships
1st   Individual pursuit
1st   Omnium
1st   Scratch
2nd   Team pursuit, Pan American Games (with Kelly Catlin, Sarah Hammer, Lauren Tamayo and Ruth Winder)
2014–15 UCI Track Cycling World Cup
3rd   Team pursuit, Cali
2015–16 UCI Track Cycling World Cup
2nd   Team pursuit, Cali
3rd   Scratch, Cali
Independence Day Grand Prix
2nd   Scratch
3rd   Individual pursuit
2016
1st   Team pursuit, UCI Track World Championships
2nd   Team pursuit, Olympic Games
3rd   Team pursuit, UCI Track Cycling World Cup (Hong Kong)
2017
1st   Team pursuit, UCI Track World Championships
Pan American Track Championships
1st   Omnium
1st   Points race
1st   Scratch
National Track Championships
1st   Omnium
1st   Points race
1st   Scratch
1st   Omnium, US Sprint GP
1st   Omnium, Fastest Man on Wheels
2016–17 UCI Track Cycling World Cup
1st   Team pursuit, Los Angeles
2017–18 UCI Track Cycling World Cup
1st   Omnium, Manchester[15]
2nd   Omnium, Pruszków[16]
5th Overall Cascade Cycling Classic
2018
UCI Track World Championships
1st   Team pursuit
2nd   Points race
Pan American Track Championships
1st   Omnium
1st   Points race
1st   Scratch
1st   Team pursuit
National Track Championships
1st   Madison
1st   Omnium
1st   Points race
1st   Scratch
2017–18 UCI Track Cycling World Cup
1st   Team pursuit, Minsk
3rd   Omnium, Minsk
2018–19 UCI Track Cycling World Cup
3rd   Omnium, Milton
3rd   Scratch Race, Milton
3rd   Omnium, Berlin
2nd   Omnium, London
2nd   Team pursuit, London
10th Winston-Salem Cycling Classic
2019
3rd   Omnium, UCI Track World Championships
National Track Championships
1st   Madison
1st   Omnium
1st   Points race
1st   Scratch
1st   Omnium, 2019 Pan American Games
Pan American Track Cycling Championships
1st   Omnium
1st   Points race
1st   Scratch
1st   Madison
2nd   Team pursuit
2019–20 UCI Track Cycling World Cup
1st   Omnium, Minsk
1st   Team pursuit, Minsk
1st   Points Race, Minsk
3rd   Scratch, Minsk
2nd   Omnium, Cambridge
1st   Omnium, Brisbane
2020
2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
1st   Team pursuit
2nd   Points race
2nd   Scratch
2019–20 UCI Track Cycling World Cup
1st   Omnium, Milton
1st   Team pursuit, Milton
3rd   Madison, Milton
2021
2020 Summer Olympics
1st   Omnium
3rd   Team pursuit
2021 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
3rd   Scratch
3rd   Elimination
2022
2022 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
1st   Omnium
3rd   Elimination
3rd   Points race
2022 UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup
1st   Elimination, Milton
2nd   Omnium, Milton
3rd   Team pursuit, Milton
1st   Omnium, Cali
1st   Elimination, Cali
1st   Madison, Cali
2022 UCI Track Champions League
1st   2022 UCI Track Champions League – Endurance Overall
2023
2023 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
1st   Omnium
1st   Scratch
3rd   Elimination
2023 UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup
1st   Elimination, Cairo
2nd   Elimination, Milton
3rd   Omnium, Milton
2024
2024 Summer Olympics
1st   Omnium
1st   Team pursuit
2024 Pan American Track Cycling Championships
1st   Omnium
1st   Points race
1st   Scratch
1st   Elimination
1st   Madison[17]
2024 UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup
2nd   Elimination, Adelaide
3rd   Omnium, Adelaide
3rd   Madison, Adelaide[18]
1st   Elimination, Milton
3rd   Omnium, Milton
3rd   Madison, Milton[19]
2024 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
2nd   Scratch
3rd   Elimination

References

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  1. ^ a b "Jennifer Valente". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on July 20, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  2. ^ Jennifer Valente at Cycling Archives (archived)  
  3. ^ "Rider Profile: Jennifer Valente". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  4. ^ "Sho-Air TWENTY20 Announces 2019 Roster with 4 Canadians". CanadianCyclist.com. Canadian Cyclist. January 16, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  5. ^ Paris 2024: Dominant Jennifer Valente finishes the job to secure place in U.S. cycling folklore. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  6. ^ "UCCS student wins silver in cycling". University of Colorado. August 18, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  7. ^ "Jennifer Valente". Cycling Archives. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  8. ^ "U.S. Olympic cycling roster set with road, indoor, BMX, mountain teams". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Shinn, Peggy (August 8, 2021). "Jennifer Valente Is First U.S. Woman To Win Gold In Track Cycling". Team USA. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "Jennifer Valente repeats as world champion in track cycling's omnium". NBC Sports. August 9, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  11. ^ "Jennifer Valente, San Diego cyclist, wins Olympic gold medal". San Diego Union-Tribune. August 8, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  12. ^ West, Jenna. "U.S. ties China for most golds in Paris, tops Olympic medals race". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  13. ^ "Tamayo adds national title to Olympic silver". cyclingnews.com. October 1, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  14. ^ "Valente, Lea set track records en route to omnium titles". USA Cycling. August 13, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  15. ^ Daniel Benson (November 12, 2017). "Valente takes 'incredible' World Cup Omnium win". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  16. ^ "Australia's Scotson and Meyer take Madison title, Wild claims women's omnium in Pruszkow". cyclingnews.com. November 4, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  17. ^ https://www.uci.org/competition-details/2024/PIS/72407 . Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  18. ^ https://www.tissottiming.com/2024/ctrnci/schedule . Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  19. ^ https://www.tissottiming.com/2024/ctrnciii/schedule . Retrieved 15 August 2024.
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