There is no shortage of underdog stories at the Olympic Games, but U.S. cyclist Kristen Faulkner’s sudden rise to glory — and gold — stunned audiences over the weekend. During Sunday’s women’s road race, the 31-year-old snagged a gold medal, becoming the first American to take home the top medal in that event since 1984, according to NBC. What makes her win even more remarkable, however, is that Faulkner began cycling professionally just four years ago and was never meant to be at the 2024 Olympics to begin with. Prior to 2020, she was working an office job as a venture capitalist.
Per The Wall Street Journal, Faulkner hardly knew how to clip her bike shoes into her pedals when she first began cycling in 2017. The Harvard alum and former crew team member had grown up hiking and rowing in Alaska and, at the time, was looking for an outdoorsy hobby to balance her very indoorsy corporate gig in New York. Three years and many Central Park rides later, Faulkner won her first professional race and decided to quit her VC job to pursue cycling full time.
Come 2024, however, Faulkner failed to qualify for the Paris Games. It wasn’t until July — weeks before the start of the Olympics — that she was asked to join Team USA after fellow cyclist Taylor Knibb resigned her spot. Fast-forward, and Faulkner, the woman who was never supposed to race in the first place, crossed the finish line 58 seconds before the silver and bronze cyclists. It was a hard-earned moment that Faulkner predicted in an interview with Olympics.com back in May. “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?”