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Jennifer Valente
Jennifer Valente
Jennifer Valente
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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]

Key Information

Career

[edit]

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

[edit]
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

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Jennifer Valente

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Jennifer Valente (born December 24, 1994) is an American professional track cyclist specializing in endurance events such as the and . Hailing from , , she has achieved remarkable success on the international stage, becoming the most decorated female cyclist in U.S. Olympic history with five medals across three Games. Valente's career highlights include multiple UCI Track Cycling World Championship titles and consistent podium finishes, establishing her as a dominant figure in the sport. Valente grew up in San Diego, where she began cycling on mountain and BMX bikes before transitioning to track racing at the San Diego Velodrome in 2008. By 2009, she was competing in track events and local criteriums, crediting her late coach Mark Whitehead for her early development. She attended the , where she balanced academics with her burgeoning athletic career, eventually joining the professional team Twenty24. Her family background includes parents Kimberly and Thomas Valente, along with two brothers, Thomas and James; she resides in . Valente's Olympic journey began at the 2016 Rio Games, where she earned a silver medal in the team pursuit. She claimed gold in the women's omnium at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics—delayed to 2021 due to the pandemic—along with a bronze in the team pursuit, marking the first U.S. women's track gold in over a decade. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Valente defended her omnium title with a dominant performance, scoring 144 points, and contributed to another gold in the team pursuit, bringing her total to three golds, one silver, and one bronze. On the World Championships circuit, she has amassed 19 medals, including seven golds, five silvers, and seven bronzes across various disciplines since her elite debut. Valente has podiumed at every UCI Track World Cup since 2016 and won junior world titles in 2011, underscoring her longevity and versatility in track cycling.

Early life and education

Early life

Jennifer Valente was born on December 24, 1994, in , . She stands at 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) tall and weighs approximately 73 kg (161 lb). The daughter of Kimberly and Thomas Valente, she has two brothers, Thomas and James. Valente grew up in the San Diego area, where her family fostered an active lifestyle influenced by her father's enthusiasm for cycling. From a young age, she developed an interest in outdoor activities, including , body , and paddle boarding, alongside casual biking around her neighborhood. Surrounded by bikes throughout her childhood in , she frequently rode mountain and bikes, which sparked her early affinity for the sport. Her introduction to structured cycling came during adolescence when she began taking kids' classes at the San Diego Velodrome in 2008, motivated by the local culture and family encouragement. By 2009, at age 14, she transitioned to , drawn to the 's proximity and the thrill of competitive riding near her home.

Education

Valente relocated from , , to Colorado Springs in the summer of 2013 to train with the U.S. national team at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center. This move enabled her to enroll at the (UCCS), where she pursued a in . Throughout her time at UCCS, Valente integrated her academic responsibilities with her rigorous training schedule, collaborating with advisers and faculty to pace her coursework in support of her Olympic-level cycling commitments. She graduated from UCCS in May 2025.

Cycling career

Junior career

Jennifer Valente began her competitive career in track events around age 13, starting with local races at the in 2008 and progressing to national competitions by 2009. Over the next several years, she established herself as a dominant junior rider, specializing in sprint and endurance disciplines such as the , , and . Valente accumulated 12 national junior track titles between approximately 2009 and 2013, including multiple victories in the , , and at Junior Track National Championships. In 2011, she claimed two junior national titles, and by 2012, she secured six gold medals at the event in Trexlertown, , capping her domestic success with wins in the and flying lap, among others. Her international breakthrough came at the UCI Junior Track World Championships. In 2011 in , , Valente won gold in the and bronze in the . The following year in , , she earned another bronze medal in the , finishing third behind Russian riders Daria Shmeleva and Lidia Pluzhnikova. Transitioning toward her under-23 phase, Valente joined the amateur squad Exergy Twenty16 in 2013, where she began competing in early road and track events while continuing to hone her skills at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. These junior achievements laid the foundation for her rapid ascent in elite cycling.

Senior career

Valente began her senior professional cycling career in 2013 with the Exergy Twenty16 team, competing in domestic road races such as the Sea Otter Classic and USA Crits Finals, where she gained experience in elite women's pelotons. In 2014, she transitioned to the TWENTY16 team, which provided opportunities in higher-level events, including stage races that helped build her endurance for both road and emerging track pursuits. By 2015, riding for TWENTY16 presented by Sho-Air, Valente participated in UCI-sanctioned races, marking her entry into international road competition while balancing initial track development. From 2017 onward, Valente raced with Sho-Air TWENTY20, achieving notable road results that highlighted her versatility, including a 5th-place overall finish at the Cascade Cycling Classic and 2nd in the youth classification there, alongside consistent top-10 performances in stages. In 2018, she secured 10th in the points classification at the Amgen Tour of California Women's Race, with 6th and 7th places in stages 1 and 3 respectively, and 10th at the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic, contributing to her team's efforts in UCI Women's WorldTour-level events. These seasons underscored her role as a reliable domestique and occasional contender in multi-day races, though her results reflected a growing emphasis on track specialization. Following her 2016 Olympic appearance, Valente shifted her primary focus to , training intensively with while maintaining road commitments to support her professional team. This dual balance involved rigorous regimens in Colorado Springs and later the , incorporating interval sessions on the alongside road group rides to sustain aerobic capacity. By 2022, as the team rebranded to Virginia's Blue Ridge–TWENTY24—evolving from its TWENTY16 and Sho-Air iterations, where she had been a member since 2012—Valente's road racing tapered, prioritizing track preparation. In non-championship track events like the UCI Nations Cup series from 2016 to 2024, she excelled in preparatory races, earning multiple medals including three in one day at the 2019 Minsk World Cup ( silver, elimination race bronze, bronze) and three more across the 2022 Milton and Cali events ( gold, scratch silver, elimination bronze). Valente retired from professional cycling at the end of the 2024 season.

Major achievements

Olympic Games

Jennifer Valente made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, where she contributed to the ' silver medal in the women's alongside teammates Sarah Hammer, , and Chloe Dygert. The quartet employed a synchronized pacing strategy, maintaining tight formations and efficient rotations to challenge Great Britain's dominant squad, ultimately finishing just 1.734 seconds behind the gold medalists in the final. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021), Valente secured a in the women's with Megan Jastrab, Chloe Dygert, and Emma White, relying on resilient teamwork to recover from an early crash by Dygert and edge out in the bronze medal race by 2.512 seconds. She then claimed gold in the women's , the first for a U.S. woman in , by excelling in three of the four disciplines—winning the scratch and elimination races outright while strategically conserving energy in the tempo race to finish with 124 points ahead of Japan's Yumi Kajihara. Valente paired with Jastrab for 9th place in the women's madison debut, focusing on consistent sprint positioning amid the event's high-stakes points accumulation. Valente achieved further success at the 2024 Paris Olympics, anchoring the U.S. to gold in the women's with Dygert, Kristen Faulkner, and Lily Williams, where precise sub-three-minute laps and seamless handoffs allowed them to hold off by 0.780 seconds in a tactical final. She defended her title with back-to-back golds, amassing points through aggressive breakaways in the (40 points), a second-place tempo effort, and a victory in the elimination race, culminating in a dominant performance for her second individual Olympic gold. Teaming with Williams in the madison, Valente finished 4th, leveraging endurance tactics in sprints and laps to secure valuable points despite a competitive field. Across three Olympic appearances, Valente amassed 5 medals—3 golds, 1 silver, and 1 bronze—establishing her as the most decorated female track cyclist in U.S. history and highlighting her pivotal role in elevating American dominance through collaborative training regimens and adaptive race strategies.

Jennifer Valente has amassed a remarkable 19 medals at the from 2015 to 2024, comprising 7 golds, 5 silvers, and 7 bronzes, establishing her as one of the most successful American track cyclists in history. This total surpassed the previous U.S. record of 15 medals held by in 2023. Her gold medals include four in the team pursuit (2016, 2017, 2018, 2020), two in the omnium (2022, 2023), and one in the scratch race (2023). She secured silver medals in the individual pursuit (2015), points race (2018), scratch race and points race (2020), and scratch race (2024). Valente's bronze medals came from the omnium (2019), scratch race and elimination race (2021), elimination race and points race (2022), and elimination race (2023, 2024). Valente's championship record underscores her dominance and versatility in endurance events, with consistent podium results in the , scratch, elimination, and disciplines across nearly a decade. Beginning with her debut silver in the at the 2015 edition in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, , she quickly contributed to the U.S. team's rise, anchoring the women's pursuit squad to consecutive gold medals from 2016 to 2018 and again in 2020 amid challenging conditions during the Berlin event. By the early 2020s, Valente expanded her individual prowess, capturing her first elite world title in 2022 in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines—site of her debut podium—and defending it in 2023 in , , where she also claimed gold in the to cap a dominant week. These achievements reflect her evolution from a reliable team pursuit rider to a multi-disciplinary leader, often racing multiple events per championships and securing multiple medals in single years, such as three in 2020 and 2023. Her sustained excellence, including bronzes in the high-stakes elimination race across 2021–2024, highlights tactical acumen and endurance that propelled the U.S. to multiple team successes on the global stage.

Pan American competitions

Jennifer Valente has achieved significant success in Pan American track cycling competitions, establishing herself as a dominant force in the region from to 2024. Her performances contributed to the ' overall supremacy, with Team USA securing numerous team event victories and fostering a strong pipeline for international competition. At the , Valente earned her first major continental medal in 2015 at the Games, where she claimed silver in the women's alongside teammates Sarah Hammer, , and Ruth Winder. Four years later, at the 2019 Games, she captured gold in the , demonstrating her versatility across the event's four disciplines: elimination race, tempo race, flying lap, and . Valente's record at the Pan American Track Championships is particularly illustrious, amassing 20 gold medals, one silver, and four bronzes across multiple events including , , scratch, elimination, , and madison between 2014 and 2024. Her debut in 2014 at , , yielded a bronze in the , marking an early sign of her potential. In 2015 in Santiago, , she secured three golds in , individual pursuit, and , helping solidify U.S. team dominance. From 2017 to 2019, Valente's results propelled her to regional stardom, with multiple golds each year that served as crucial preparation for global events. In 2017 in , , she won gold in the ; the following year in , Bolivia, she took four golds in scratch, , , and ; and in 2019 in , she added four more golds in , scratch, , and madison, plus a silver in . These victories highlighted U.S. rivalries with teams from and while underscoring Valente's role in Team USA's sweep of endurance events. In 2024, at the championships in Santiago, , Valente concluded her Pan American campaign with five golds in elimination, , , scratch, and madison (with Megan Jastrab), further cementing the U.S. team's 12-gold haul and regional hegemony.

References

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  28. https://www.olympics.com/en/athletes/jennifer-valente
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