Underdog is an understatement for Kristen Faulkner, the American cyclist who didn’t even qualify for the Olympics but is now going home with a gold medal after a shocking race through Paris on Sunday.
It was the last three kilometers of the race when Faulkner managed to break free of the pack and surge far ahead in a spectacular display of vigor. She crossed the finish line 58 seconds before silver and bronze winners ended their races.
She is the first American woman to win gold in the women’s road race since 1984.
While Faulkner’s push was incredible on its own, it’s the story she carried with her that made the win so exciting.
Faulkner, 31, was not supposed to compete at the 2024 Paris Games but was called up to Team USA in early July after Taylor Knibb resigned her spot. It was an exciting moment for the woman who had only begun cycling in 2017 on hobby rides through Central Park in New York City.
She grew up hiking and rowing in Homer, Alaska, and eventually joined the women’s crew team at Harvard University. It wasn’t until she moved to New York to work as a venture capitalist that she tried cycling.
“I still needed that outdoors fix that was such a big part of my life,” she told NBC News in an interview that aired the night before her race.
Faulkner didn’t even know how to lock her cleats into the pedals at first. She eventually realized her failure to clip in was a result of incapable gear.
But once she figured it out, Faulkner said she frequently turned to her bike as an outlet. She eventually quit her full-time job to race professionally after winning her first pro race in 2020.
She described her journey to the Olympics as one of resilence, overcoming injury and accidents to get to the world’s top race.
“It’s never a matter of if I’ll keep going, it’s just a matter of how,” Faulkner said.
Though spectators might be shocked that she walked away with a medal on Sunday, Faulkner knew she had it in her. She told Olympics.com that she wanted to earn a spot on that podium before she even made the team.
“I want to win a medal at the Olympics,” she said. “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?”
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