When the Omnium was first launched in 2012 within the Olympic Games, supplanting such time-honoured races as the person pursuit and the kilometre time trial for a single, multi-event competitors, it brought on no finish of controversy. But after 4 Olympic cycles and a few extra vital adjustments in format, the Omnium has now turn into a well-established and thrilling part of each the Games and the World Championships.
The sometimes vital function performed by the factors race, the final of the Omnium format, allowed Britain’s Matthew Walls to assert gold in 2021 in Tokyo, comfortably outstripping his closest opponent Campbell Stewart of New Zealand.
Great Britain will probably play a big function once more within the 2024 Games because of double Omnium World Champion Ethan Hayter, who intentionally dropped out of the highway time trial to additional hone his give attention to the monitor. However, each Benjamin Thomas for France, fourth in Tokyo in 2021, and above all Elia Viviani of Italy, whose poor early begin within the 2021 Games meant he needed to accept bronze after netting gold 5 years earlier, may even be key names to observe.
Changed from a six-event format to 4 in 2016 and held over a single day, moderately than two, for the primary time in 2021, the Omnium now consists of a scratch race, a tempo race, an elimination race and a factors race.
The scratch race is probably the most easy in format, with the order of ending after 10 kilometres (40 laps) deciding the variety of factors awarded to every rider. The tempo race, then again, permits rivals to achieve factors each in intermediate sprints and by lapping the sector. Then the elimination race sees the final rider throughout the road in a dash held each two laps faraway from the occasion.
As the final of the 4 Omnium occasions, probably the most sophisticated by way of technique and the occasion the place most factors are awarded, the factors race is nearly at all times probably the most decisive. Riders can seize factors in a 100-lap race in sprints held each ten laps, in addition to gaining and dropping factors for lapping the sector – or being lapped. As a consequence, the outright winner is never determined earlier than this last spherical of racing.
Men’s Omnium rivals
- Oliver Bleddyn (Australia)
- Sam Welsford (Australia)
- Tim Wafler (Austria)
- Lindsay de Vylder (Belgium)
- Fabio van den Bossche (Belgium)
- Dylan Bibic (Canada)
- Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Colombia)
- Denis Rugovac (Czechia)
- Jan Vones (Czechia)
- Niklas Larsen (Denmark)
- Frederik Rodenberg Madsen (Denmark)
- Youssef Ahmed Zaky Abouelhassan (Egypt)
- Thomas Boudat (France)
- Benjamin Thomas (France)
- Roger Kluge (Germany)
- Tim Torn Teutenberg (Germany)
- Ethan Hayter (Great Britain)
- Oliver Wood (Great Britain)
- Bernard Benyamin van Aert (Indonesia)
- Simone Consonni (Italy)
- Elia Viviani (Italy)
- Shunsuke Imamura (Japan)
- Kazushige Kuboki (Japan)
- Ricardo Pena Salas (Mexico)
- Jan Willem van Schip (Netherlands)
- Aaron Murray Gate (New Zealand)
- Alan Banaszek (Poland)
- Iuri Leitao (Portugal)
- Sebastian Mora Vedri (Spain)
- Alex Vogel (Switzerland)
- Grant Koontz (United States)
Men’s Omnium contenders
It’s honest to say that the Men’s Omnium has no clear favorite. But of all of the a number of contenders, veteran Elia Viviani (Italy), gold in 2016 and bronze in 2021, has the most effective earlier Olympic Omnium kind and is the one former medallist within the speciality current on this Games’ lineup.
While Viviani’s teammate and former Team Pursuit Olympic gold medallist Simone Consonni might be a key outsider, there are a number of earlier Omnium World Champions and podium finishers collaborating.
Ben Thomas (France), Ethan Hayter (Great Britain) and Fernando Gaviria (Colombia) are all ex-double World Champions within the Omnium, whereas Aaron Gate (New Zealand) and Thomas Boudat (France) have beforehand received the Omnium Worlds as soon as every.
Keep a watch, too, out for Niklas Larsen (Denmark) and Jan Willem van Schip (Netherlands), each prime 10 finishers within the 2021 Olympics and common medallists in different main monitor occasions as properly.
Men’s Omnium schedule
- August 8: Scratch Race – 17:00 CET
- August 8: Tempo Race – 17:38 CET
- August 8: Elimination Race – 18:25 CET
- August 8: Points Race (Final) – 19:27 CET
