The U.S. Women's Team Pursuit, consisting of Chloe Dygert, Lily Williams, Emma White, and Jen Valente, won its fourth gold medal in five years at the UCI Track World Championships in Berlin, Germany, on Thursday, beating the British team in the final by about two seconds They won their fourth gold medal in five years.
In the final, he faced a British team consisting of Elinor Barker, Katie Archibald, Eleanor Dickinson, and Nea Evans.
The U.S. team eliminated Great Britain in the 3,000m with a time of 4:11.235, 1.894 seconds faster than their rivals.
The U.S. team's capture of the rainbow jersey bodes well for this summer's Tokyo Olympics; four years ago in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the women's Pursuit team had to settle for a silver medal after losing to Great Britain in the final.
At the time, Valente and Dygert were part of a team that also included the now-retired Sarah Hammer and the late Kelly Catlin, who died last March.
"This was our first World Championship since Kelly passed away, and it was a special accomplishment for us. This race is dedicated to Kelly. We were able to finish first because Kelly was in our hearts," Daigert, who won the gold medal, told the BBC.
"I'm proud of what this team accomplished tonight," USA Cycling women's track endurance head coach Gary Sutton added in a press release Thursday. 'They pulled together and rode really well, just like I thought they would. This is our starting point for Tokyo, and our plan is to go even higher from here."
On Friday, Valente will also compete in the omnium, and the championships will continue with the men's kilometer time trial, individual pursuit, points race, and women's sprint. The competition in Berlin concludes on Sunday.
Comments