The bronze medalist of women’s mountain biking at the Paris Olympics helped her competitor win silver. Yes, you read that correctly.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Haley Batten, 25, was tested both physically and mentally in the women’s mountain bike final on Monday afternoon in Elancourt, France.
Batten did not have the start she wanted. But she stayed calm and rider by rider, caught up to third place on the descent.
Then, on the fourth lap of seven, Batten punctured her tire on the rock portion of the race and fell to eighth place.
“I ripped through the rock garden, and I just absolutely slammed my rear wheel on this rock,” Batten explained to NBC Olympics. “And I knew it was my fault. You know, that's mountain biking. You have to be smart about that line of when you push and when you slow down. And I take the blame for that completely. And I was so lucky that I was near the bottom of that descent. I still had to ride a few corners and a couple other rock sections, but my stock tire stayed on the wheel, even though the wheel was broken and I was able to ride it all the way.”
Batten fought her way back into the race and on the seventh and final lap, she found herself battling Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds for second place. In the final stretch, Batten passed Rissveds to win silver, securing the best-ever finish in mountain biking (man or woman) for the United States and the first medal in the discipline since 2012.
Upon first look, Batten’s victory is one of perseverance and mental fortitude. While that remains true, there is more to the story.
“I was so lucky that Jenny Rissveds was behind me,” Batten said. “The riders passed me on the jump when I had to take the b-line and she quickly shouted out to my mechanic, ‘Haley has a flat!’ So, he was ready.
“It shows how amazing our sport is and what an incredible athlete she is, and rider and person. [My mechanic] did the fastest wheel change ever.”
With the support of Rissveds, Batten’s medal chances went from bleak to hopeful in a matter of seconds.
“I was lucky that when I caught up, they weren't going a pace that was too hard,” Batten said. “I thought they were going to attack again, and I was able to recover after that effort to catch into the medal positions again. And then other riders made mistakes, one crashed, another rider flatted.”
Batten finished in second place overall, 2:57 behind France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and just five seconds ahead of Rissveds.
“If I had the start that I wanted and I was in contention in the beginning, I think maybe I would have felt like I'd lost gold,” Batten said. “But this way I felt like I very much earned silver and it was an incredible finish.”
Rissveds' support of Batten comes during a significant milestone for women at the Olympics.
When Paris first hosted the Olympics in 1900, only five events were available to women: tennis, sailing, equestrian, croquet and golf, according to the IOC. More than a century later in the same city where women made their Olympic debut, the 2024 Paris Games are the first Olympics with gender parity.
In recent Olympics, the IOC has emphasized gender parity. At the Tokyo Games, NOCs were allowed to have two flagbearers – one male and one female – during the Opening Ceremony for the first time ever. The IOC has also added 12 mixed gender events to the Olympic program over the course of the past two Games.
Women athletes have had a significant impact on the Olympics so far. During the first two days of medal events, nine of the United States’ 12 medals were won by women. Through three days of competition, U.S. women have won 11 of the 20 total medals for Team USA.
Batten said that Rissveds’ decision to help her during the race felt like a “full circle” moment because Batten’s mechanic did something similar for Rissveds earlier in the season. The two have competed against each other all season and Batten knows that she is a better rider because of it.
For Batten, the support between her and Rissveds is just one example of many in a sport where women continue to build each other up.
“I think that's the most beautiful part of sport is that you can be on that start line together, and I think, honestly, we want to make each other stronger,” Batten said. “You give your best fight, I'll give my best fight. And, you know, the strongest rider will win.
“I think it makes those battles so much more rewarding when we both put our heart into it, and we did it the right way. And she went above and beyond to help me. And how tough it was to get a flat in that moment especially at the Olympic Games to, to make that a little bit easier was incredible.”
Batten has been supported by women throughout her mountain biking career.
Back when she began pursuing her Olympic dream, the women’s mountain biking team for the 2012 London Olympics was announced. That team included Georgia Gould and Lea Davison, who ended up being teammates with Batten on the Luna pro team. Both Gould and Davison served as mentors for Batten.
“They're both retired now, and it feels like an incredible passing of the baton,” Batten said. “All the mentorship and all the support that they gave me, how they made me a better rider. I feel like their character and their grace and humility -- I want to carry all of that – not just the performance and being on top of podiums, but everything they taught me.”
And whether it be predestined or just chance, Batten wore the same number in Paris that Gould wore when she won bronze in London: No. 11.
“Let's celebrate,” Batten said. “We're not the same as men, but let's celebrate what we can do."
Batten knows that she stands on the shoulders of the women who have come before her, and she strives to set an example for the next generation by coaching young female athletes.
“I want them to surpass me,” Batten said. “The best rider I can be is that if I can accept that, the next generation will be stronger, right?
“Because that will only make me better. And it will also make them better, right? The harder we fight, the better we train. It raises all of us to be at the best level possible. And I think it will help make female cycling more respected, more celebrated, more watched. Women's racing is really, really cool right now. And I'm excited to see what will continue to happen in the future.”