Cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games:

The favorite was the 1995 World Champion, France’s Félicia Ballanger. Ballanger finished second in qualifying, which was surprisingly won by Australia’s Michelle Ferris. In the quarter-finals, Ballanger faced the 1988 and 1992 gold medalist, Erika Salumäe of Estonia, who had only made the quarters by advancing via the repêchage. Ballanger would defeat her in two straight races, and would not lose a race en route to the gold medal. In the final she defeated Ferris, who had advanced by defeating the 1992 bronze medalist, Ingrid Haringa (NED), in the semis. Haringa repeated as bronze medalist, defeating the 1992 silver medalist, Germany’s Annett Neumann. Over the next few years, Ballanger would establish herself as the top female sprinter in the world, winning the World Championships in 1996-1999 and defending her gold medal at Sydney in 2000.