Kristen Faulkner has made history after winning gold at the 2024 Olympic Games!
The racing cyclist, 31, earned her first gold medal at the women’s road race on Sunday, Aug. 4 — becoming the first American to secure a medal in the event in 40 years.
Faulkner beat competitor Marianne Vos by 58 seconds as the Dutch rider secured silver, along with Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky, taking the bronze by a shorthair from Blanka Vas of Hungary, who entered at fourth place, per the Associated Press.
The race took place across a 98-mile stretch in Paris, along several hilly routes, ending at the finishing line at the Trocadéro.
At one point in the race, Faulkner appeared up front alongside Vos and Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini as they rode up Butte-Montmartre, per the AP. During the latter part of the route, Faulkner fell behind Vos and Vas before she eventually broke through — clinching the gold in the final seconds.
Lotte Kopecky (left) behind Kristen Faulkner at the Women’s Road Race.
Alex Broadway/Getty
Faulkner’s gold win makes her the first American to receive a road race medal at the Olympics since 1984, when Alexi Grewal and Connie Carpenter secured their gold medals at the games in Los Angeles.
“It’s a dream come true,” Faulkner said following her win, per the AP. “It’s the best feeling in the world. I don’t know how to describe it.
“I knew that Kopecky wanted to catch the front two, so I knew she’d ride with me. I knew that if we caught them, then I had to attack because I couldn’t beat any of them at the line,” she continued. “The best place to attack was right after we caught them and everyone was tired. That was my chance, I practiced my late attack several times this year.”
The Alaska native developed a passion for cycling while working in investment banking in New York City soon after graduating from Harvard in 2016. Faulkner eventually went pro with the sport and in her first year simultaneously continued her full-time job for a Silicon Valley firm, according to the AP.
“I took a really big risk a few years ago to come to pursue my dream. I made it happen,” the cycling champion said. “I learned how to calculate risks and assess risks. In a race, I take that mindset with me: What is the risk-reward ratio? Knowing when to go all in.”
