When the Omnium was first introduced in 2012 in the Olympic Games, supplanting such time-honoured races as the individual pursuit and the kilometre time trial for a single, multi-event competition, it caused no end of controversy. But after four Olympic cycles and some more significant changes in format, the Omnium has now become a well-established and exciting component of both the Games and the World Championships.
The typically significant role played by the points race, the last of the Omnium format, allowed Britain’s Matthew Walls to claim gold in 2021 in Tokyo, comfortably outstripping his closest opponent Campbell Stewart of New Zealand.
Great Britain will likely play a significant role again in the 2024 Games thanks to double Omnium World Champion Ethan Hayter, who deliberately dropped out of the road time trial to further hone his focus on the track. However, both Benjamin Thomas for France, fourth in Tokyo in 2021, and above all Elia Viviani of Italy, whose poor early start in the 2021 Games meant he had to settle for bronze after netting gold five years earlier, will also be key names to watch.
Changed from a six-event format to four in 2016 and held over a single day, rather than two, for the first time in 2021, the Omnium now consists of a scratch race, a tempo race, an elimination race and a points race.
The scratch race is the most straightforward in format, with the order of finishing after 10 kilometres (40 laps) deciding the number of points awarded to each rider. The tempo race, on the other hand, allows competitors to gain points both in intermediate sprints and by lapping the field. Then the elimination race sees the last rider across the line in a sprint held every two laps removed from the event.
As the last of the four Omnium events, the most complicated in terms of strategy and the event where most points are awarded, the points race is almost always the most decisive. Riders can capture points in a 100-lap race in sprints held every ten laps, as well as gaining and losing points for lapping the field - or being lapped. As a result, the outright winner is rarely decided before this final round of racing.
Men's Omnium competitors
- 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 fair to say that the Men’s Omnium has no clear favourite. But of all the multiple contenders, veteran Elia Viviani (Italy), gold in 2016 and bronze in 2021, has the best previous Olympic Omnium form and is the only former medallist in the speciality present in this Games’ lineup.
While Viviani’s teammate and former Team Pursuit Olympic gold medallist Simone Consonni could be a key outsider, there are a host of previous Omnium World Champions and podium finishers taking part.
Ben Thomas (France), Ethan Hayter (Great Britain) and Fernando Gaviria (Colombia) are all ex-double World Champions in the Omnium, while Aaron Gate (New Zealand) and Thomas Boudat (France) have previously won the Omnium Worlds once each.
Keep an eye, too, out for Niklas Larsen (Denmark) and Jan Willem van Schip (Netherlands), both top 10 finishers in the 2021 Olympics and regular medallists in other major track events as well.
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
