‘Heartbreaking’: Georgia Baker misses omnium medals after superb start

After an outstanding start to the women’s omnium, Australia's Georgia Baker has had to settle for fifth place on the last day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The Tasmanian was in the silver-medal position coming into the points race. She had earned that high ranking after placing third, fourth and second in the three prior rounds.

In the scratch race, the 29-year-old skilfully navigated a chaotic bunch sprint that saw British hope Neah Evans crash and pre-race favourite Lotte Kopecky (BEL) finish well down the order. Baker handled her bike flawlessly to shoot through to third.

Next was the tempo race, where Ireland’s Lara Gillespie took an early lap. Baker put herself into the next attack with defending champion Jennifer Valente (USA) and Poland’s Daria Pikulik.

The trio came within touching distance of taking a lap. Although they were unable to complete that objective, they shared the remaining lap points between them, allowing Baker to finish fourth.

In the elimination race, Baker played with fire. She found herself boxed in on the lower track on multiple sprint laps. But each time, the triple Olympian threaded her front wheel with surgical precision to edge to safety, ultimately joining Valente among the last two riders.

The American had the superior finish, but Baker was now in second place overall behind Valente. The Australian was on 108 points with a 12-point buffer to third place.

Baker follows the wheel of Valente in the elimination race. (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)

The 80-lap points race was a fast and intense affair, with many strong riders eager to make up for their losses in the earlier rounds.

At the halfway mark, Kopecky, Valente and other contenders went on the attack – a crucial move that Baker was unable to follow.

While Valente extended her lead by taking a lap, riders such as Kopecky, Pikulik, Ally Wollaston (NZL) and Amelie Dideriksen (NOR) also took 20 points back from Baker.

As Baker saw her podium buffer evaporate, Wollaston immediately moved to take another lap  – joined again by many of the contenders. Kopecky and Pikulik went into a counterattack that not only gained a lap, but also swept up the last intermediate sprint points.

Those results pushed Baker off the podium, and, having been unable to add a single point to her tally, she was consigned to finish in fifth behind Valente, Pikulik, Wollaston and Kopecky, in that order.

“I’m pretty upset”, Baker said frankly. “I’m proud of how I rode. The three events prior, I was happy with being really consistent. I can’t be disappointed because I didn’t leave anything out on the track; I gave it my all.

“But I am still disappointed, because my goal was to get onto the podium, and I knew it was possible going into the points score. I knew it was going to be a hard race because there were so many favourites quite far down on points, so I knew it was going to be on the whole time.”

Baker said physical shortcomings, not tactical ones, cost her a medal.

“It was just running out of legs,” she said. “There were moments I wanted to go. There were some moments I was up high on the fence, and a move went, and I needed to be in it. So, it was just the wrong position at the wrong time.

“If I had the legs, I could bridge across to that, but I didn’t quite have the top end, the little bit that I needed.”

The women’s omnium was the final cycling event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Australia finished with five medals from the velodrome, including gold in the men’s team pursuit.

Despite missing out on a medal of her own, Baker said the success of the broader Australian Cycling Team gave her a boost.

“We’ve had such a great competition here with the whole cycling team on track,” Baker said.

“It’s been really inspiring for me.”

“Going out before this we had Richo and Matt Glaetzer on the podium; the TP boys; we’ve had so many good events here and it’s been so inspiring … it’s made me go, ‘I can do it too.’

“It is possible, but that makes it that bit more heartbreaking when you’re so close to it.”

Feature photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images