Paris Olympics: Women's Madison preview

Dating back more than 125 years, the Madison was named for the venue at which the discipline originated, Madison Square Garden in New York. However, the history of the women’s Madison at the Olympic Games is very young, making a debut at the Tokyo Olympic Games just three years ago. 

Great Britain’s Katie Archibald and Laura Kenny etched their names in the history books as the first women to win the gold in the Madison.

The podium will have a new look at this Olympiad, as the legendary Great Britain duo of Archibald and Kenny are not in Paris. Archibald, who would have taken part in her third Games, suffered two fractures to one leg in a fall in her garden at home in late June. Kenny retired from cycling this spring. She had won five gold medals and one silver across three Olympic Games, plus seven track world titles.

The sling-shot exchanges by each two-rider team make the orchestrated chaos of the Madison a fan favourite. The team with the most points wins after 120 laps (30 kilometres) for the women. Points are earned in intermediate sprints throughout the race and by lapping the field. 

Each rider takes a turn being “active” on the track. The “inactive” rider coasts at a slower pace on the upper bank of the track until a relay swap is made. Typically, this exciting exchange is made by teammates gripping hands and then launching the one rider forward. This exchange can happen anywhere on the track and as often as they want.

Women's Madison competitors

• Georgia Baker (Australia)
• Aleandra Manly (Australia)
• Chloe Moran (Australia)
• Katrijn de Clercq (Belgium)
• Helene Hesters (Belgium)
• Lotte Kopecky (Belgium)
• Ariane Bonhomme (Canada)
• Maggie Coles-Lyster (Canada)
• Amalie Dideriksen (Denmark)
• Julie Norman Leth (Denmark)
• Marion Borras (France) 
• Clara Copponi (France)
• Valentine Fortin (France)
• Franziska Brausse (Germany)
• Lisa Klein (Germany)
• Laura Suessemilch (Germany)
• Elinor Barker (Great Britain)
• Neah Evans (Great Britain)
• Lara Gillespie (Ireland)
• Mia Griffin (Ireland)
• Alice Sharpe (Ireland)
• Elisa Balsamo (Italy)
• Vittoria Guazzini (Italy)
• Chiara Consonni (Italy) 
• Maho Kakita (Japan)
• Mizuki Ikeda (Japan)
• Tsuyaka Uchino (Japan)
• Lisa van Belle (Netherlands)
• Maike van der Duin (Netherlands)
• Bryony Botha (New Zealand) 
• Emily Shearman (New Zealand)
• Daria Pikulik (Poland)
• Wiktoria Pikulik (Poland) 
• Michelle Andres (Switzerland)
• Aline Seitz (Switzerland) 
• Jennifer Valente (United States of America)
• Lily Williams (United States of America) 

Women's Madison contenders

Great Britain is still the team to beat in the women’s Madison, as Team GB will consist of reigning world champions Neah Evans alongside Elinor Barker. Both won silver medals in Tokyo in Team Pursuit, while Barker also has a gold from Team Pursuit in the Rio Games. The two easily won the most recent Madison contest at the Nation’s Cup contest in Milton, Ontario.

The home team has been on top form this year, with Valentine Fortin and Marion Borras leading France to silver medals at the last two Nations Cup competitions, both times finishing behind Great Britain.

Australia will be a contender, with Georgia Baker and Alexandra Manly bring firepower. The two rode to silver at the Glasgow World Championships last year, and at the opening Nations Cup race in Adelaide, they finished second. Baker makes her third Olympic appearance while Manly a second. In the Madison finals in Tokyo, Baker rode with Annette Edmondson for seventh place.

Denmark brings their silver medallists from the Tokyo Games for a chance to secure another medal - Amalie Dideriksen and Julie Leth. Two years ago, at the World Championships in France, they finished third.

Women's Madison schedule

• August 9: Women's Madison - 18:09 CET