The 2012 Olympic omnium had seen Laura Trott , Sarah Hammer and Annette Edmondson occupy the three places on the podium. Although the format was tweaked after London, these three held an iron fist on the event between Olympics and won all but one of the available World Championship medals. Hammer had won in 2013 and 2014, Edmondson in 2015 before Trott regained her title in 2016.

In the first five races Trott performed imperiously and dropped only four points of a possible 200 by winning three and coming second in the other two. However, the new format which placed much more importance on the concluding points race did not guarantee Trott the title. Trott then concentrated on marking her nearest rivals and scoring occasional points where possible. She lost only a small fraction of her lead and comfortably retained her title. Her fourth Olympic gold made her the most successful British woman in Olympic history.