Haley Batten won the United States’ first medal, though silver, in cross-country mountain biking when she competed at the Paris Olympics. Even after breaking a rule and being fined, hers was said to be the best finish ever by an American rider.
Here’s everything you need to know about Haley Batten.
Career Highlights
The twenty-five year old won her first gold medal in the National Junior Championships almost ten years ago and has not looked back since then. The next year, she won a silver medal in the same competition. In 2017 and 2018, Haley participated in the cross-country National Under-23 Championships and won gold and silver respectively.
She then finished third at her first elite World Cup XCO race in 2021. Later that year, she came first in the short-track cross-country MTB World Cup race and second at the Nové Město XCO World Cup race. She qualified for the 2020 Olympics but came ninth in the event.
In 2023, Haley suffered a concussion, hand injury, and lip laceration in a training fall. Despite her injuries, she finished 16th in the World Cup cross-country race the next day, but later withdrew from subsequent championships to fully recover.
She is presently a member of the Specialized Factory Racing team and rides the S-Works series of mountain bikes. She trains under three-time Olympic Gold medalist, Kristin Armstrong
Life Outside Olympics
Haley travels with the Specialized Factory Racing Team in her spare team. She is also pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences at Quest University in Squamish, British Columbia.
Next, here’s Everything You Need To Know About Olympic Silver Medalist Jack Alexy
