The United States made history on Wednesday, winning the gold medal in the Olympic women’s team pursuit track cycling event for the first time. They secured the victory in a dramatic final against New Zealand.
The American team, consisting of Kristen Faulkner, Jennifer Valente, Lily Williams, and Chloe Dygert, built a comfortable lead early in the race, making victory seem inevitable. However, the final laps brought moments of tension as New Zealand closed the gap. The US held on to win in a time of 4:04.306, just ahead of New Zealand’s 4:04.927.
For Faulkner, this gold medal marked her second of the Tokyo Games, adding to her previous victory in the women’s road race. The team’s success was particularly emotional given their previous finishes as runners-up in 2012 and 2016, and third in the 2020 Games.
Meanwhile, Great Britain took home the bronze medal after defeating Italy in the bronze medal race.
