PARIS, France — Mountain biker Haley Batten, a Park City native and member of Team USA, made history Sunday morning when she won the silver medal in the women’s mountain bike cross country race.
Batten currently holds the record for most mountain bike Olympic medals in U.S. history by a male or female Olympian.
At the end of Sunday’s race, she crossed the finish line behind gold medalist Pauline Ferrand-Prévot of France, followed closely by bronze medalist Jenny Rissveds of Sweden, who held a comfortable lead.
Batten lace
The cross-country race took place on the Elancourt Hill in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Paris.
While others challenged her for position throughout the 20-mile race, Batten slowly worked her way up the ranks with each 2.74-mile lap. Starting in 15th place, Batten worked her way up to 12th after the first lap, fifth by the second lap, and fourth by another lap.
Batten then suffered a flat tire about halfway through the race, forcing him to abandon the race.
“But you can’t underestimate the U.S. team,” KSL sports reporter Chandler Holt wrote.
Batten fell 40 seconds behind and nearly dropped out of the top 10. After the tire was repaired and he was back on the ground, Batten won the next lap and worked his way up to second place.
Rissveds challenged her on the seventh and final lap and moved into second place, but was soon overtaken by Batten again, and the pair crossed the finish line a few minutes behind Ferrand-Prévot, with Rissveds just a few seconds behind Batten.
On the other side of the finish line, Batten turned back to meet Rissveds as he crossed the finish line. The two met behind the wheel and embraced tightly, both smiling, out of breath and in disbelief.
Ferrand Prevot finished in 1 hour 26 minutes 02 seconds, Batten in 1 hour 28 minutes 59 seconds and Risvens in 1 hour 29 minutes 04 seconds.
Relive the past
A year ago, Batten fell on this course and suffered a concussion that kept her out of the world championships, a key Olympic qualifier.
But she ended up making the most of it, earning enough World Cup points to qualify for the Olympics and winning the silver medal in a race that had been on her mind for years.
“I had a lot in mind and I knew I would be on the podium today,” Batten said, “so this is pretty awesome.”
A Park City woman who grew up surrounded by winter sports, Batten is grateful for the summer mountain trails that got her hooked on the sport, as well as the support from family and friends who pushed her to get better.
“My hometown of Park City and all the people I raced with there and the whole cycling community made this possible,” Batten said. “So it’s really awesome.”
Gold medalist Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (center) of Team France, silver medalist Haley Batten (left) of Team USA, and bronze medalist Jenny Rissveds (right) of Team Sweden make it onto the podium during the women’s cross-country mountain bike gold medal race on the second day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Elancourt Hill in Elancourt, France on July 28, 2024. (Tim de Waere, Getty Images)
From Utah to the World
Hayley Batten started mountain biking at age 9. Now she’s an Olympic silver medalist. (Hayley Batten)
Before qualifying for the U.S. national team, Batten told KSL-TV he has benefited greatly from Park City’s resources in the sport.
“The riding infrastructure and community around it is just amazing,” she says, “so to have grown up through local races there and then be able to carry that into my work now – the World Cup series in Europe and around the world, and then into the Olympics – has been fantastic.”
Batten started the sport at age 9, racing on local trails, and by the time she was 17, she was racing professionally before competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where she finished ninth.
Batten was a favorite in the sport, with multiple World Cup victories and setbacks under her belt, but ultimately her eyes were set on Paris.
Now they are slowly inching towards an even bigger victory at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
MORE: Watch exclusive news, stories and highlights from the Paris Olympics on KSL TV and KSL Sports.
Contributors: Chandler Holt, KSL Sports and Alex Cabrero, KSL TV
