On the final day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Jennifer Valente (San Diego; Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24) competed for Team USA in the Women’s Omnium which took place inside the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines National Velodrome. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion Valente maximized her points in a series of four mass-start races, claiming another victory in Paris. These races include the Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race, and Points Race.
In today’s Omnium, the total points accumulated over the first three races are determined by the rider’s finishing positions in each event. These points are then carried into the final Points Race, where additional points are added to the rider’s existing total to determine the overall winner. Success in the Omnium requires a well-planned strategy. Valente’s approach was centered on staying calm, keeping cool, and avoiding overheating. She focused on treating each race as an individual event, giving her all in each one, then resetting to bring the same intensity to the next.
The Scratch Race was the first event of the Omnium. During the Scratch Race, athletes complete 30 laps and riders earn points based on the order in which they cross the finish line. Valente settled in early and kept an eye out for anyone who might try and attack. At 20 laps to go, France attacked but the field responded quickly. France was caught at 14 to go. The pace really started to pick up at five laps to go, so Valente settled in towards the front to get ready for a sprint. At two laps to go, she sat on the second wheel and timed the sprint perfectly to be first across the line.
The second race was the Tempo Race where riders completed 30 laps, after the first five laps, the winner of each lap earns a point. Riders get additional points for lapping the field, and the rider who racks up the most points wins the race. Ireland launched a big attack off the front for the first sprint rolling all the way through to lap the field, she then earned 20 points. Valente went to the front to get some additional points and then went off the front with Australia and Poland. They racked up points lap after lap. She finished the Tempo Race in second and earned 38 total points toward the Omnium standings.
The third race is the Elimination Race where riders complete a series of laps and the last rider to cross the finish line every two laps is eliminated. The last rider standing is declared the winner and earns the most points. Valente rode the entire race at the front and picked riders off one by one. She finished this race in first place and earned 40 additional points. Georgia Baker (AUS) went into the event as second overall and finished close behind Valente in second at the sprint to the line.
In the Points Race, the fourth and final event of the Omnium, riders start the race with point tallies earned from their finishing positions in the first three races. From there, they complete 80 laps and accumulate points during sprints that occur every ten laps and earn additional points for lapping the field. These points are added to their starting points, and the person with the most points at the end of this final race wins the Omnium.
Valente began the Points Race with 118 points and quickly asserted her dominance. As the first sprint approached, she effortlessly surged to the front, securing five points right out of the gate. By the third sprint, she added another point to her total while keeping a close eye on Baker, who was closing in on her lead. With under 50 laps remaining, Norway lapped the field to move into third place overall, and several other riders followed suit, each earning 20 points. Recognizing the need to stay ahead, Valente made the decisive move to join them, successfully lapping the field and adding 20 more points to her tally. As the race neared its conclusion, Valente was confident in her lead and stayed safe for the remainder of the race while the battle for silver and bronze was still outstanding.
Reflecting on her strategy in the Points Race, Valente explained, “I entered with a bit of a buffer and focused on getting even more of a buffer early on. There was a bit of a point drop further down the list of people that I was happy to let take points, which in turn put pressure on some other people.”
This victory marks Valente’s third Olympic gold medal—a monumental achievement for the 29-year-old from San Diego. Reflecting on her win, she shared, “It’s been a long week of racing, with some strong performances. I’m thrilled that I was able to pull it off on the last day. I’m excited. It's the pinnacle of my career to win another Olympic gold medal. There is nothing better than this."
1. Jennifer Valente (USA)
2. Daria Pikulik (POL)
3. Ally Wollaston (NZL)
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