ÉLANCOURT, France — Haley Batten, an Olympic mountain biker for Team USA, made history with the highest finish ever for an American rider and made Arkansas proud by securing a silver medal on July 28. Despite the fantastic finish, judges determined Banten broke a rule in the final lap.
Batten was vying for second place with Sweden's Jenny Rissveds, well behind eventual champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, when she went through a lane dedicated to food and drink or stopping for mechanical problems. But after the judges reviewed the footage, they decided Batten had done neither and broke one of the rules of the race.
Luckily, this small penalty only cost her around a $500 fine and not her silver medal.
Before Batten's success at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she was training in Bentonville, Arkansas, according to Downtown Bentonville Incorporated.
"All the way from Bentonville, Arkansas — the mountain biking capital of the world — Haley Batten secures our nation’s best mountain biking finish! Way to represent the Natural State," Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote on X.
The City of Bentonville and Visit Bentonville followed suit in congratulating Batten.
"From Bentonville to Olympic glory! We're bursting with pride for Haley Batten's silver medal and cheering on all of the Team USA mountain biking crew," Visit Bentonville wrote on Facebook. "We're proud to be part of your journey!"
On July 31, Batten expressed her gratitude for Bentonville's role in her Olympic journey.
"It's so cool to be with USA Cycling in Paris. So far, cycling is crushing it and Team USA is crushing it," Batten said. "Thank you, Bentonville, for all the support."
According to Visit Bentonville, the city is known as the Mountain Biking Capital of the World due to its "400-mile award-winning systems across the bluffs and hollers of Northwest Arkansas."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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