Jennifer Valente

American cyclist (born 1994) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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–Twenty28.[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]

FullnameJennifer Marie Valente
Born (1994-12-24) December 24, 1994 (age 31)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1]
Weight165 lb (75 kg)[1]
Quick facts Personal information, Full name ...
Jennifer Valente
Valente in 2018
Personal information
Full nameJennifer Marie Valente
Born (1994-12-24) December 24, 1994 (age 31)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1]
Weight165 lb (75 kg)[1]
Team information
Current teamVirginia's Blue Ridge–Twenty28
Discipline
  • Track
  • Road
RoleRider
Rider typePursuitist (track)
Amateur team
2014Twenty16
Professional teams
2013Exergy Twenty16[2]
2015–Twenty16 p/b Sho-Air[3]
Major wins
Track
Olympic Games
Omnium (2020, 2024)
Team pursuit (2024)
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 place2020 TokyoOmnium
Gold medal – first place2024 ParisOmnium
Gold medal – first place2024 ParisTeam pursuit
Silver medal – second place2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam pursuit
Bronze medal – third place2020 TokyoTeam pursuit
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 LondonTeam pursuit
Gold medal – first place2017 Hong KongTeam pursuit
Gold medal – first place2018 ApeldoornTeam pursuit
Gold medal – first place2020 BerlinTeam pursuit
Gold medal – first place2022 Saint-Quentin-en-YvelinesOmnium
Gold medal – first place2023 GlasgowScratch
Gold medal – first place2023 GlasgowOmnium
Silver medal – second place2015 YvelinesIndividual pursuit
Silver medal – second place2018 ApeldoornPoints race
Silver medal – second place2020 BerlinScratch
Silver medal – second place2020 BerlinPoints race
Silver medal – second place2024 BallerupScratch
Bronze medal – third place2019 PruszkówOmnium
Bronze medal – third place2021 RoubaixScratch
Bronze medal – third place2021 RoubaixElimination
Bronze medal – third place2022 Saint-Quentin-en-YvelinesElimination
Bronze medal – third place2022 Saint-Quentin-en-YvelinesPoints race
Bronze medal – third place2023 GlasgowElimination
Bronze medal – third place2024 BallerupElimination
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place2019 LimaOmnium
Silver medal – second place2015 TorontoTeam pursuit
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place2014 AguascalientesTeam pursuit
Gold medal – first place2015 SantiagoScratch
Gold medal – first place2015 SantiagoIndividual pursuit
Gold medal – first place2015 SantiagoTeam pursuit
Gold medal – first place2017 CouvaOmnium
Gold medal – first place2017 CouvaPoints race
Gold medal – first place2017 CouvaScratch
Gold medal – first place2018 AguascalientesOmnium
Gold medal – first place2018 AguascalientesPoints race
Gold medal – first place2018 AguascalientesScratch
Gold medal – first place2018 AguascalientesTeam pursuit
Gold medal – first place2019 CochabambaOmnium
Gold medal – first place2019 CochabambaScratch
Gold medal – first place2019 CochabambaPoints race
Gold medal – first place2019 CochabambaMadison
Gold medal – first place2024 Los AngelesOmnium
Gold medal – first place2024 Los AngelesScratch
Gold medal – first place2024 Los AngelesPoints race
Gold medal – first place2024 Los AngelesElimination
Gold medal – first place2024 Los AngelesMadison
Silver medal – second place2019 CochabambaTeam pursuit
Bronze medal – third place2012 Mar del PlataKeirin
Bronze medal – third place2012 Mar del PlataScratch
Bronze medal – third place2012 Mar del PlataTeam pursuit
Bronze medal – third place2014 AguascalientesOmnium
Close

Career

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

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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