Paris Olympics: USA holds off New Zealand for gold in women's team pursuit

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USA leads from start to finish for gold over New Zealand

The United States of America topped New Zealand for their first gold medal in the women’s Team Pursuit. The USA women finished in 4:04.306, holding the advantage on each time check across the 4,000 metres to win by half a second at the Paris Olympic Games and fall short by a fraction of a second from a new world record.

The lead was a full second in the first quarter of the contest and the margin saw a minimal boost to 1.3 seconds at the half-way mark. Soon both teams were down to three riders, Jennifer Valente pulling off for the USA and Nicole Shields for New Zealand. 

New Zealand then began to drill the pace noticeably with Bryony Botha, Emily Shearman and Ally Wollaston still engaged and the gap moved to under one second with two laps to go, but the USA found another gear and countered with their own acceleration for the win, Lily Williams, Chloe Dygert and Kristen Faulkner crossing the finish.

“We knew we had a strong team coming in, and I feel like the lucky one because they have won medals before on the track and I haven’t. I just wanted to live up to their expectations," said Faulkner, who added a second gold medal at the Paris Games to her collection, the first one in the road race three days before. 

Since the women's Team Pursuit was first held at the Olympic Games in 2012, Team USA has earned a spot on the podium each time, with the fourth time the win for gold. At the Tokyo Olympic Games it was Germany who set the world record in the women’s team pursuit at 4:04.242.

“We thought we would ride around a 4:07 on a perfect day, so this goes beyond that,” Williams said about the US squad getting close to a record.

New Zealand finished well outside the medals three years ago, in eighth. Only Botha was part of that team, and new Olympian Wollaston called this Olympiad a "crazy journey".

"I'd say we had three really strong rounds, and we could be proud of every ride that we left out there the last two days. We've had a pretty crazy journey into these Games. I mean, the initial disappointment of having come in second - it happened to us at Worlds as well to GB - so yeah, we've gotten used to it now," Wollaston said with a small chuck. 

"It was initially disappointing, but at the end of the day, you have to look back and see the journey that we've made and the progress we've made in the last two years or three years since the last Games. We're really proud at the end of the day to be here and with a silver medal around our necks."

In the medal round for bronze, Great Britain overpowered Italy by two-and-a-half seconds for the final spot on the podium, stopping the clock at 4:06.382. Italy put the reigning world champions under pressure early going half a second faster across the open 1,000 metres. The time increased with Elisa Balsamo at the front with Chiara Consonni, Martina Fidanza and Vittoria Guazzini to almost a full second just before the half-way mark. 

Great Britain’s foursome - Elinor Barker, Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Jessica Roberts - then put in a charge in the final kilometere, and with 500 metres to go they took back all the time lost, and then some, to move into the lead.  

“It was the ride of our lives. The way track cycling works is - you lose and get silver, but you win a bronze," Barker assessed.

First round

For the first time in Olympic history, the United States and New Zealand women will compete for the gold medal in the team pursuit.

The USA's Kristen Faulkner, Chloé Dygert, Lily Williams and Jen Valente defeated Great Britain's Elinor Barker, Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Jessica Roberts in the first round to move onto the gold medal final.

New Zealand, with Bryony Botha, Emily Shearman, Nicole Shields and Ally Wollaston, handily beat Italy's Chiara Consonni, Martina Fidanza, Vittoria Guazzini, Letizia Paternoster in the 4km effort to join the USA in the gold medal round.

Italy's time was closely challenged by Germany, who will go up against France for 5th and 6th place, while Canada and Australia have one last race for 7th and 8th places.

The final for the women's team pursuit takes place at 7 p.m. CET on Wednesday.

New Zealand post fastest qualifying time

New Zealand wowed at the Paris Olympics velodrome, setting the fastest time in the women's team pursuit qualifying round on Tuesday, putting the team in the pole position for the gold medal final.

Bryony Botha, Emily Shearman, Nicole Shields, and Ally Wollaston pushed close to the existing world record set by Germany in the Tokyo Olympics, setting a time of 4:04.679, 0.437 shy of breaking that mark to move onto the first round of competition.

With new road race Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner a new addition to Team USA's women's team pursuit squad, their quartet with Tokyo Olympic bronze medalists Chloé Dygert, Jen Valente and Lily Williams powered to the second-fastest time, 4:05.238.

Despite missing Katie Archibald, who suffered a broken leg in a freak accident in June, Elinor Barker, Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Jessica Roberts finished solidly in third with a time of 4:06.710.

Great Britain will face off against the USA in the fight for the gold medal round, and will have to beat their American rivals to move on, or set the third- or fourth-fastest time to qualify for the bronze medal final.

The Italian team with Chiara Consonni, Martina Fidanza, Vittoria Guazzini, Letizia Paternoster slipped into fourth in the rankings ahead of defending champions Germany with a 4:07.579, becoming the final team eligible to race for the gold medals. They will have to beat New Zealand to move on, however.

Still building their momentum after Lisa Brennauer retired after the Tokyo Games, Franziska Brausse, Lisa Klein, Mieke Kröger and Laura Süßemilch moved on to the next round along with the teams from Australia, France and Canada.

Germany will face Canada in the first round, while France and Australia will compete to set the third and fourth-fastest times to be eligible to race in the bronze medal final.