Kristen Faulkner, an American cyclist labeled an underdog, has achieved an astonishing victory at the Paris Olympics, capturing a gold medal despite not even qualifying for the Games initially.
In a riveting race on Sunday, Faulkner surged ahead in the final three kilometers, finishing 58 seconds ahead of the silver and bronze medalists. This remarkable triumph makes her the first American woman to win gold in the women’s road race since 1984.
Faulkner’s story adds to the excitement of her win. At 31, she was unexpectedly invited to join Team USA in early July after Taylor Knibb withdrew her spot. Faulkner began her cycling journey only in 2017 while enjoying leisure riders in Central Park, New York.
Raised in Homer, Alaska, she pursued hiking and rowing and eventually became a member of the Harvard women’s crew team. Her interest in cycling ignited when she moved to New York to work as a venture capitalist. “I still needed that outdoors fix that was such a big part of my life,” she shared in an NBC News interview prior to her race.
Initially, Faulkner struggled with bike mechanics, not knowing how to clip her cleats into the pedals due to incompatible gear. However, once she overcame this hurdle, she embraced cycling as a crucial outlet, leading her to quit her full-time job and race professionally after claiming her first pro victory in 2020.
Faulkner characterized her path to the Olympics as one filled with resilience, overcoming injuries and setbacks to compete at the highest level. “It’s never a matter of if I’ll keep going, it’s just a matter of how,” she stated.
Though her medal win may have surprised some spectators, Faulkner had confidence in her abilities. She expressed her ambitions to Olympics.com, saying, “I want to win a medal at the Olympics. I want to win a world championship in the time trial. And I would like to win a stage at the Tour de France. I have some big goals, don’t I?”