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Jennifer Valente (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24) scored an additional superlative when she received her first world title within the ladies’s Omnium on Friday on the UCI Monitor World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. A a number of gold winner within the Workforce Pursuit for the USA, the Omnium victory was her first particular person elite world title at Worlds, and he or she turned one of many few riders to double up with a World crown whereas nonetheless the reigning Olympic Champion.
“Successful this occasion was definitely a objective, nicely earlier than the Olympics. I achieved the Olympic dream earlier than this one, however this actually had been on the forefront of my thoughts for a very long time. I’m actually happy with this win,” Valente stated in a USA Biking assertion simply after her win.
“It undoubtedly means so much. The crew gold medal is particular in a very totally different approach. Each crew world title that I’ve received has been with a extremely particular group of individuals. However that is only a utterly totally different expertise.”
Valente earned spots in two Olympic Video games, incomes three medals for Workforce USA, one in every color. She took silver within the Workforce Pursuit in Rio and bronze in the identical occasion in Tokyo, and scored the gold medal in Tokyo within the Omnium.
The 27-year-old California native shares 4 Workforce Pursuit world titles together with her US teammates, however entered the World Championships with out a person elite-level gold medal in a storied monitor profession that started with a gold within the Scratch race on the 2011 Junior World Championships.
She has high placings within the Omnium from the Pan American Monitor Championships and US Nationals and World Cups, however a rainbow jersey was elusive till this week.
Within the first of the 4 endurance occasions of the Omnium on the Saint Quentin en Yvelines velodrome, Valente took the win within the Scratch Race, having been affected person till 5 laps remained. Within the second occasion, the Tempo Race, she completed sixth, as a gaggle of 5 riders had been capable of achieve a lap on the sector close to the top of the occasion. Nonetheless, Valente got here again and received the Elimination race, an occasion wherein she earned a bronze medal on Thursday.
It got here right down to techniques within the ultimate occasion, the Factors race. She marked her closest competitor, eventual silver medalist Maike van der Duin (Netherlands), as every scored a dash every and held on to a nine-point margin for the gold.
When requested in regards to the format of the Omnium, Valente stated it was a problem as a result of it rewards an all-round efficiency.
“Folks have good races and unhealthy races, and also you simply should be constant. Probably the most constant rider is the one which wins. Typically meaning profitable particular person occasions. Typically it doesn’t,” she stated.
“There’s no cruising on this race. There was lots of robust competitors. Plenty of up-and-coming younger riders. Lots of people prepared to actually dig deep and go laborious, to place their title on the board, to be a favourite on the subsequent race.”
Valente stays a favorite in any occasion on the monitor. She took dwelling a complete of three medals from France, one of the best for any of the US riders. The third medal was a bronze within the 100-lap Factors race, which elevated her tally in that occasion to 17 in her profession.
“That race was robust. It’s the top of the week, and everyone seems to be attempting for one final probability on the podium,” stated Valente in regards to the race. “The purpose unfold was extremely tight for a lot of the race, with 10 factors separating first to ninth, I believe. I’m comfortable to finish this occasion with one other medal.”
