Current:Home > NewsTeam USA's Haley Batten takes silver medal in women's mountain biking at Paris Olympics -CapitalEdge
Team USA's Haley Batten takes silver medal in women's mountain biking at Paris Olympics
View
Date:2025-04-18 00:52:02
Editor's note: Follow the latest Olympics live results, medal count and updates for Sunday, July 28.
ELANCOURT, France − Not even a broken rear wheel could stop Haley Batten in the women's mountain biking competition at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, earning the silver medal with a time of 1:28:59 despite having to ride much of the fourth lap with a barely-serviceable bike.
France's Pauline Ferrand-Prevot pulled away from the field early and commanded gold in a time of 1:26:02, leaving Batten and Sweden's Jenny Rissveds to control all the drama by battling for silver over the second half of the race. Rissveds took the bronze (1:29.04), but it was Batten who overcame.
Her broken wheel came with poor timing, as Batten was a long way from reaching the pit at the time. The 30.8km course featured seven laps of 4.4 kilometers each, and Batten's wheel broke almost exactly at the midway point. She felt lucky her bike held together long enough for her to get the repair.
Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports' WhatsApp Channel
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
"It was the bottom of the main rock garden on the first descent, so it was a long time (to get assistance). I had quite a few switchbacks and a couple more rock gardens to make it through, so I was lucky it stayed together," she said. "... I hit a rock pretty dang hard and I smashed my wheel. I broke it completely. I was able to ride the wheel with the tire on it for the last half of that descent to be able to make it to (the pit) and I have one of the best mechanics in the world. He fixed it so fast. So I moved quite a few positions down, but I think that fueled my fire even more. It gave me an extra boost."
Once she had a new wheel, Batten began a quick recovery to reach medal contention again. She and Rissveds battled over the sixth lap, trading second and third place back and forth, before Batten pulled away in the final lap. Meanwhile, Ferrand-Prevot's gold medal was well-secured and drew raucous cheers from home-country fans. Ferrand-Prevot's gold was her first medal in her fourth Olympic Games. Batten and Ressveds rode within a few seconds of one another for much of the sixth lap.
"We've had the most epic and most exciting battles all year," Batten said of Ressveds. "We both got concussions this year. We've had some of the best fights this year. I know Jenny really well and we support each other. I've actually looked up to her for a long time. … She did one big attack and I was able to hold on. I knew my strength is to be strong in the end of the race, so I waited for that and chose my moment."
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Team USA's other rider, Savilia Blunk, finished 12th with a time of 1:31:52.
Batten's first medal comes in her second Olympic appearance, having finished ninth in Tokyo in 2021. She won her first national title at age 14 and turned professional by age 17, becoming the youngest member of Team USA mountain biking upon her qualification to compete in the Tokyo Games.
Batten, 25, of Park City, Utah, is coached by former Team USA cyclist Kristin Armstrong, a three-time Olympic gold medalist. On Saturday, Armstrong also coached Team USA's Chloe Dygert to a bronze medal in the women's road cycling individual time trial.
Team USA mountain bikers have won just two Olympic medals previously, by Susan DeMattei (1996, bronze), when the sport made its debut in Atlanta, and Georgia Gould (2012, bronze).
The women's mountain biking event was held at the Paris Games' Elancourt Hill venue, and is the highest point in the Paris area at an altitude of 231 meters. Team USA's men's mountain biking team will compete at Elancourt Hill on Monday with riders Riley Amos and Christopher Blevins.
Both the men's and women's competitions include 36 riders.
Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at [email protected]. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.
veryGood! (3335)
Related
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Trio of ballot failures leads marijuana backers to refocus their efforts for recreational weed
- Democrats hoped Harris would rescue them. On Wednesday, she will reckon with her loss
- SW Alliance: Practical Spirit Leading Social Development
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Jennifer Love Hewitt Says This 90s Trend Is the Perfect Holiday Present and Shares Gift-Giving Hacks
- 'He gave his life': Chicago police officer fatally shot in line of duty traffic stop ID'd
- NFL trade deadline live updates: Latest rumors, news, analysis ahead of Tuesday cutoff
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Why AP called Florida for Trump
Ranking
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Judge refuses to block nation’s third scheduled nitrogen execution
- Travis Kelce Defends Brother Jason Kelce Over Phone-Smashing Incident With Heckler
- Michigan deputy credited with saving woman on train tracks
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Hurricane Rafael slams into Cuba as Category 3 storm: Will it hit the US?
- Republican Hal Rogers wins reelection to Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District
- How Kevin Costner Is Still Central to Yellowstone’s Final Season Despite Exit
Recommendation
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Jennifer Love Hewitt Says This 90s Trend Is the Perfect Holiday Present and Shares Gift-Giving Hacks
ROYCOIN Trading Center: Paving the Way for the Future of Cryptocurrency with Cutting-Edge Technology
Trump Media stock halted three times, closes down on Election Day: What's next for DJT?
Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
Dak Prescott injury update: Cowboys QB likely headed to IR, to miss at least four games
Shelter in place issued as Broad Fire spreads to 50 acres in Malibu, firefighters say
Jennifer Love Hewitt Says This 90s Trend Is the Perfect Holiday Present and Shares Gift-Giving Hacks