Jennifer Valente

{{Infobox cyclist

| name = Jennifer Valente

| fullname = Jennifer Marie Valente

| image = UCI Track World Championships 2018 146.jpg

| caption = Valente in 2018

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|12|24}}

| birth_place = San Diego, California, U.S.

| height = 5 ft 9 in{{cite web |url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-cycling/athletes/Jennifer-Valente |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720055354/http://www.teamusa.org/usa-cycling/athletes/Jennifer-Valente |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2015 |title=Jennifer Valente|publisher=United States Olympic Committee|access-date=October 22, 2017}}

| weight = 165 lb

| currentteam = {{UCI team code|T20}}

| discipline = {{ubl|Track|Road}}

| role = Rider

| ridertype = Pursuitist (track)

| amateuryears1 = 2014

| amateurteam1 = {{UCI team code|T20|2014}}

| proyears1 = 2013

| proteam1 = {{UCI team code|T20|2013}}{{Cycling Archives}}

| proyears2 = 2015–

| proteam2 = {{UCI team code|T20|2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/jennifer-valente/ |title=Rider Profile: Jennifer Valente|website=cyclingnews.com |access-date=October 22, 2017}}

| majorwins =

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCount|total=yes

|Olympic Games|3|1|1

|World Championships|7|5|7

|Pan American Games|1|1|0

|Pan American Championships|20|1|4

}}

{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}

{{MedalSilver|2015 Yvelines|2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Women's individual pursuit}}

{{MedalBronze|2022 Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines|2022 UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Women's elimination}}

}}

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 {{UCI team code|T20}}.{{cite news|url=http://www.canadiancyclist.com/dailynews.php?id=34509&title=sho-air-twenty20-announces-2019-roster-with-4-canadians|title=Sho-Air TWENTY20 Announces 2019 Roster with 4 Canadians|work=CanadianCyclist.com|publisher=Canadian Cyclist|date=January 16, 2019|access-date=March 10, 2019}} 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.[https://olympics.com/en/news/jennifer-valente-victory-usa-most-decorated-female-cycling-olympian Paris 2024: Dominant Jennifer Valente finishes the job to secure place in U.S. cycling folklore. Retrieved 12 August 2024.]

Career

She enjoyed a successful junior career, winning 12 national titles and one world junior title.{{cite web |url=https://www.cu.edu/article/uccs-student-wins-silver-cycling |title=UCCS student wins silver in cycling|date=August 18, 2016 |publisher=University of Colorado|access-date=October 22, 2017}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=73568 |title=Jennifer Valente |access-date=August 21, 2017 |work=Cycling Archives}}

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.{{Cite web|date=2021-06-10|title=U.S. Olympic cycling roster set with road, indoor, BMX, mountain teams|url=https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/06/10/usa-cycling-olympic-roster/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=OlympicTalk {{!}} NBC Sports|language=en-US}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.teamusa.com/news/2021/august/08/jennifer-valente-is-first-us-woman-to-win-gold-in-track-cycling |title=Jennifer Valente Is First U.S. Woman To Win Gold In Track Cycling |last=Shinn |first=Peggy |date=August 8, 2021 |website=Team USA |access-date=August 8, 2021}}

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.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-09 |title=Jennifer Valente repeats as world champion in track cycling's omnium |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/jennifer-valente-omnium-world-championships-track-cycling |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}

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.{{Cite web |date=2021-08-08 |title=Jennifer Valente, San Diego cyclist, wins Olympic gold medal |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2021/08/08/jennifer-valente-san-diego-cyclist-wins-olympic-gold-medal/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=West |first=Jenna |title=U.S. ties China for most golds in Paris, tops Olympic medals race |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5694378/2024/08/11/us-china-gold-medals-count-olympics/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

Major results

;2011

:UCI Junior Track World Championships

::1st 20px Scratch

::3rd 15px Keirin

;2012

:1st 20px Keirin, National Track Championships{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usa-cycling-elite-track-national-championships-2012/day-2/results/ |title=Tamayo adds national title to Olympic silver|date=October 1, 2012 |website=cyclingnews.com |access-date=October 22, 2017}}

:3rd 15px Keirin, UCI Junior Track World Championships

:Pan American Track Championships

::3rd 15px Keirin

::3rd 15px Scratch

::3rd 15px Team pursuit

;2013

:2nd 15px Team pursuit, Los Angeles Grand Prix (with Kimberly Geist, Sarah Hammer and Ruth Winder)

;2014

:Pan American Track Championships

::1st 20px Team pursuit (with Amber Gaffney, Kimberly Geist and Elizabeth Newell)

::3rd 15px Omnium

:1st 20px Omnium, National Track Championships{{cite web |url=https://www.usacycling.org/valente-lea-set-track-records-en-route-to-omnium-titles.htm |title=Valente, Lea set track records en route to omnium titles|date=August 13, 2014 |website=USA Cycling |access-date=October 22, 2017}}

:1st 15px Omnium, Grand Prix of Colorado Spring

;2015

: 2nd 15px Individual pursuit, UCI Track World Championships

:Pan American Track Championships

::1st 20px Individual pursuit

::1st 20px Scratch

::1st 20px Team pursuit (with Kelly Catlin, Sarah Hammer and Ruth Winder)

: National Track Championships

::1st 20px Individual pursuit

::1st 20px Omnium

::1st 20px Scratch

:2nd 15px Team pursuit, Pan American Games (with Kelly Catlin, Sarah Hammer, Lauren Tamayo and Ruth Winder)

: 2014–15 UCI Track Cycling World Cup

::3rd 15px Team pursuit, Cali

: 2015–16 UCI Track Cycling World Cup

::2nd 15px Team pursuit, Cali

::3rd 15px Scratch, Cali

:Independence Day Grand Prix

::2nd 15px Scratch

::3rd 15px Individual pursuit

;2016

: 1st 20px Team pursuit, UCI Track World Championships

: 2nd 15px Team pursuit, Olympic Games

: 3rd 15px Team pursuit, UCI Track Cycling World Cup (Hong Kong)

;2017

: 1st 20px Team pursuit, UCI Track World Championships

: Pan American Track Championships

::1st 20px Omnium

::1st 20px Points race

::1st 20px Scratch

: National Track Championships

::1st 20px Omnium

::1st 20px Points race

::1st 20px Scratch

:1st 15px Omnium, US Sprint GP

:1st 15px Omnium, Fastest Man on Wheels

: 2016–17 UCI Track Cycling World Cup

::1st 15px Team pursuit, Los Angeles

: 2017–18 UCI Track Cycling World Cup

::1st 15px Omnium, Manchester{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valente-takes-incredible-world-cup-omnium-win/ |title= Valente takes 'incredible' World Cup Omnium win |author=Daniel Benson |date=November 12, 2017 |website=cyclingnews.com|access-date=January 21, 2019}}

::2nd 15px Omnium, Pruszków{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-track-world-cup-i-2017/day-2/results/ |title=Australia's Scotson and Meyer take Madison title, Wild claims women's omnium in Pruszkow|date=November 4, 2017 |website=cyclingnews.com|access-date=November 7, 2017}}

: 5th Overall Cascade Cycling Classic

;2018

: UCI Track World Championships

::1st 20px Team pursuit

::2nd 15px Points race

: Pan American Track Championships

::1st 20px Omnium

::1st 20px Points race

::1st 20px Scratch

::1st 20px Team pursuit

: National Track Championships

::1st 20px Madison

::1st 20px Omnium

::1st 20px Points race

::1st 20px Scratch

: 2017–18 UCI Track Cycling World Cup

::1st 15px Team pursuit, Minsk

::3rd 15px Omnium, Minsk

: 2018–19 UCI Track Cycling World Cup

::3rd 15px Omnium, Milton

::3rd 15px Scratch Race, Milton

::3rd 15px Omnium, Berlin

::2nd 15px Omnium, London

::2nd 15px Team pursuit, London

: 10th Winston-Salem Cycling Classic

;2019

: 3rd 15px Omnium, UCI Track World Championships

: National Track Championships

::1st 20px Madison

::1st 20px Omnium

::1st 20px Points race

::1st 20px Scratch

:1st 15px Omnium, 2019 Pan American Games

:Pan American Track Cycling Championships

::1st 20px Omnium

::1st 20px Points race

::1st 20px Scratch

::1st 20px Madison

::2nd 15px Team pursuit

:2019–20 UCI Track Cycling World Cup

::1st 15px Omnium, Minsk

::1st 15px Team pursuit, Minsk

::1st 15px Points Race, Minsk

::3rd 15px Scratch, Minsk

::2nd 15px Omnium, Cambridge

::1st 15px Omnium, Brisbane

;2020

:2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

::1st 20px Team pursuit

::2nd 15px Points race

::2nd 15px Scratch

:2019–20 UCI Track Cycling World Cup

::1st 15px Omnium, Milton

::1st 15px Team pursuit, Milton

::3rd 15px Madison, Milton

;2021

:2020 Summer Olympics

::1st 15px Omnium

::3rd 15px Team pursuit

:2021 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

::3rd 15px Scratch

::3rd 15px Elimination

;2022

:2022 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

::1st 20px Omnium

::3rd 15px Elimination

::3rd 15px Points race

:2022 UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup

::1st 15px Elimination, Milton

::2nd 15px Omnium, Milton

::3rd 15px Team pursuit, Milton

::1st 15px Omnium, Cali

::1st 15px Elimination, Cali

::1st 15px Madison, Cali

:2022 UCI Track Champions League

::1st 15px 2022 UCI Track Champions League – Endurance Overall

;2023

:2023 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

::1st 20px Omnium

::1st 20px Scratch

::3rd 15px Elimination

:2023 UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup

::1st 15px Elimination, Cairo

::2nd 15px Elimination, Milton

::3rd 15px Omnium, Milton

;2024

:2024 Summer Olympics

::1st 15px Omnium

::1st 15px Team pursuit

:2024 Pan American Track Cycling Championships

::1st 20px Omnium

::1st 20px Points race

::1st 20px Scratch

::1st 20px Elimination

::1st 20px Madisonhttps://www.uci.org/competition-details/2024/PIS/72407 . Retrieved 15 August 2024.

:2024 UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup

::2nd 15px Elimination, Adelaide

::3rd 15px Omnium, Adelaide

::3rd 15px Madison, Adelaidehttps://www.tissottiming.com/2024/ctrnci/schedule . Retrieved 15 August 2024.

::1st 15px Elimination, Milton

::3rd 15px Omnium, Milton

::3rd 15px Madison, Miltonhttps://www.tissottiming.com/2024/ctrnciii/schedule . Retrieved 15 August 2024.

:2024 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

::2nd 15px Scratch

::3rd 15px Elimination

References

External links

[https://usacycling.org/athlete/jennifer-valente Jennifer Valente] at USA Cycling
{{Sports links|maxlink=10|properties=-P4063}}
{{Team USA|new_id=jennifer-valente-877693|old_id=Jennifer-Valente|sport=usa-cycling|archive=20230602183941}}