Cycling at the 2004 Athina Summer Games:

The event was not held over 1,000 metres, as had become standard, but rather the qualifying was 3½ laps of the track, or 875 metres, and the match races were 3 laps, or 750 metres. The 2003-04 World Champion was Russian Svetlana Grankovskaya. The qualifying was led by Australian Anna Meares, who had already won gold in the 500 metre time trial in Athina. In the semi-finals Meares faced Canada’s Lori-Ann Muenzer, who placed on the podium at the worlds in 2000, 2001, and 2004, but had never won a major international. However, in Athina she pipped Meares in three races to advance to the final. In the final, she faced Tamilla Abasova, who had defeated her teammate Grankovskaya in three races in the semis, but was completely unknown. The final was an easy victory for Muenzer as she won in straight races, giving Canada its first ever gold medal in Olympic cycling.