Utah Local Haley Batten Claims Silver Medal In Mountain Bike Race
Jul 28, 2024, 7:51 AM | Updated: 10:24 am
PARIS, France – Park City native and Team USA mountain biker Haley Batten was in the hunt for a medal halfway through the women’s mountain bike cross-country race.
Coming in 9th at the Tokyo Games, a third-lap flat tire in Paris looked like it would keep Batten off the podium once again.
However, she overcame the setback and fought hard for her first Olympic medal.
American history for Haley Batten! 🥈
She secures her country’s best-ever Olympic mountain biking finish. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/GhlgYO0gK9
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2024
Haley Batten Shows Heart In Olympic Mountain Bike Race
The Cross-Country Mountain Bike Race took place at Elancourt Hill in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in Paris. The race consisted of seven 2.74-mile laps totaling just under 20 miles.
France’s Pauline Ferrand Prevot held a comfortable lead for almost the entirety of the race. But, both silver and bronze were within reach for the American.
As the starting horn sounded, Batten started off pedaling from the middle of the pack.
A sight we love to see 😍#Cycling #MountainBike #OlympicCycling #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/Vj6wnF2hmU
— UCI MTB (@UCI_MTB) July 28, 2024
As each lap passed, Haley slowly improved her position. Starting in 15th, she moved up to 12th by the end of the first lap, fifth after the second lap, and fourth by the end of the third lap.
As Batten was approaching the midway point, adversity struck. A flat tire forced her to stop making progress and seemingly removed her from medal contention.
But, you can’t ever count out Team USA.
Despite losing over 40 seconds and nearly dropping out of the top ten, Batten kept fighting. During the fifth lap, she regained all of the ground she lost and then some.
Batten pushed past the pack of chasers that she was alongside before her flat and held second place going into the sixth lap.
Team USA’s push just accentuated France’s lead. When Batten pedaled into second, she was still nearly three minutes behind Ferrand Prevot.
🇫🇷🥇 OLYMPIC CHAMPION 🥇🇫🇷
Pauline Ferrand Prevot is your @Paris2024 @Olympics Champion in the Women’s Cross-Country Olympic!#Cycling #MountainBike #OlympicCycling #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/I2RHS3W4c6
— UCI MTB (@UCI_MTB) July 28, 2024
Coming up on the final lap, Sweden’s Olympic Gold Medalist Jenny Rissveds passed Batten, pushing her to third.
After coming so far and pushing through controversy, Batten felt that the silver medal was hers. She passed Rissveds and cruised to a 1:28:59 second-place finish.
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The 2024 Paris Olympics takes place Friday, July 26, through Sunday, August 11. The Paris Games are comprised of 329 events across 19 days, with 754 competitions and ceremonies for more than 10,000 athletes.
Find KSL Sports coverage of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics here.
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Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com. Follow Chandler on Twitter @CHoltSports or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
