Jennifer Valente

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–TWENTY24. 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.

Career

She enjoyed a successful junior career, winning 12 national titles and one world junior title. 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.

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. 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.

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.

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.