The United States women’s team pursuit team held off a late fightback from New Zealand this morning to win the gold medal for the first time.
Ally Wollaston, Bryony Botha, Emily Shearman, and Nicole Shields put in a brave fight to try to steal victory from the United States but had to settle for second at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome.
The Americans started the race well, built up a healthy lead and victory looked all but sealed but they struggled to stay together in the final laps. New Zealand came close to overtaking them but finished with 4:04.927, just behind the American team consisting of Kristen Faulkner, Jennifer Valente, Lily Williams, and Chloe Dygert, who posted a time of 4:04.306.
It was a moment of triumph for the US, who had been runners-up in 2012 and 2016, and third-place finishers at the 2020 Games.