Hayter prevents mega crash, but misses out on gold for Britain; Faulkner secures gold in team pursuit

The men’s Team Pursuit at the Paris Olympics ended in a bit of an anticlimax. After an electrifying world record performance on Tuesday, Great Britain fell short against Australia on Wednesday, despite a remarkable move by INEOS rider Ethan Hayter. While Hayter prevented a massive crash, he saw Sam Welsford (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) from Australia claim the gold. The bronze went to the Italians.

The battle for gold and silver promised to be thrilling after Australia set a world record on Tuesday and Great Britain positioned itself as a formidable opponent. World champions Denmark and Italy, featuring Filippo Ganna, Simone Consonni, and Jonathan Milan, first contested the bronze medal, with the Italians redeeming their underwhelming performance from the previous day. The final margin between them and the Danes was substantial, nearly two seconds.

Ethan Hayter stays upright by the skin of his teeth

The final itself was not particularly exciting, largely due to an incident involving Hayter. He shot out from the front of the train and barely managed to stay upright on his bike. This left the British team out of contention for a top result, as Australia dominated the race to secure gold. The Australian team, which included Welsford, Kelland O’Brien (Jayco-AlUla), and track specialists Conor Leahy and Oliver Bleddyn, delivered an overpowering performance. For Great Britain, Hayter was joined by road racer Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech).

Faulkner celebrates again

In the women’s Team Pursuit, Great Britain took the bronze by defeating Italy. The biggest news, however, was the gold medal for the Americans, who triumphed over the New Zealanders. Kristen Faulkner, Chloé Dygert, Jennifer Valente, and Lily Williams secured the gold, marking Faulkner’s second gold medal. She had unexpectedly won the road race just the previous Sunday.