Team USA cyclist racing for the history books at Paris Olympics
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Jennifer Valente will lead the USA track cycling team at the Paris games. Photo: Casey Gibson, courtesy USA Cycling
Cyclist Jennifer Valente, a San Diego native, will be out to defend her gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Why it matters: A decorated Olympian and world champion at age 29, Valente could make history again as she leads the USA track cycling team in women's endurance events.
Driving the news: Valente was one of six athletes named to the team last week.
- She's set to compete in all three events — Team Pursuit, Madison and Omnium — where cyclists ride single-gear bikes without brakes on steeply banked oval tracks called velodromes.
Flashback: Valente's love for cycling began on mountain and BMX bikes in San Diego.
- She started riding on the San Diego Velodrome in 2008 and was racing by 2009.
State of play: Valente is America's most-decorated track cyclist ever with 20 medals, including three at the Olympics.
- She was the first-ever American to win gold in the women's omnium at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she also earned a bronze medal. She won silver in Rio in 2016.
- Valente won consecutive individual world omnium titles in 2022 and 2023.
- She could break Sarah Hammer's record of four Olympic medals by a female American cyclist.
What she's saying: "The Olympic Games have always been special to me, and this time around is just as captivating," Valente said in a written statement.
- "I'm thrilled to be lining up alongside longstanding teammates and some fresh faces."
What's next: The Paris games start July 26, with track cycling events beginning Aug. 5.
