While most athletes train their entire lives for the Olympics, Kristen Faulkner has only been cycling for the past seven years. Faulkner recently won a gold medal in the Women’s Cycling Road Race at the Paris Games. Her victory is the United States’ first medal in this specific event in over 40 years. But, surprisingly, Faulkner wasn’t always a cyclist; her background is actually in finance. Prior to training for the Paris Games, Faulkner was working at a venture capitalist firm. For more on Faulkner’s inspiring journey to the Olympics, continue reading below.
Kristen Faulkner’s Road to the Olympics
In 2021, Kristen Faulkner found herself taking a leap of faith. She had just quit her stable job as a venture capitalist to pursue cycling full-time. For Faulkner, who initially took up cycling only four years prior, her interest in the sport was sparked while living in New York City. One day in 2017, she attended an introductory cycling course, and the rest is history. She was soon racing for a Silicon Valley cycling team. By 2021, Faulkner had quit her job in venture capitalism altogether to focus solely on cycling. Now, Faulkner is racing in the Olympics.
An Amazing Olympics Debut
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It turns out that Faulkner was actually a replacement athlete for the Paris Olympics. According to the New York Times, when cyclist Taylor Knibb dropped out of the road race to focus on other Olympic commitments, Faulkner was called upon to take her place for Team USA. However, Faulkner is no stranger to competitive athletics. While attending Harvard University, she was on the school’s rowing team, to which she credits her discipline and athletic prowess. Those qualities are now serving her well in her Olympic cycling success.
After Sunday’s historic win, Faulkner told the Associated Press, “This is a dream come true. It’s the best feeling in the world. I don’t know how to describe it. I’m still looking at that finish line sign, wondering how my name got there.”
How Faulkner’s Background in Finance Helped Her Win Gold
When speaking as to how her background in venture capitalism actually aided her Olympic win, Faulkner told USA Today, “A lot of what I learned how to do is how to take calculated risks and how to assess risk. And if there’s a high risk but the reward is high, then it might be worth it. And I think in a race, I take that mindset with me throughout the race. It’s like, ‘Well, there’s a break up the road, there’s a risk, and why not catch it?’ What is the risk-reward ratio of being patient versus being aggressive? So that’s something I definitely take with me.”
It seems her ability to calculate risks is certainly paying off well. During Sunday’s race, Faulkner cycled over the finish line with a time of 3:49.23. Her victory secured Faulkner a gold medal, which was the first win for the United States in this race since 1984. The last person to win for Team USA was Connie Carpenter-Phinney, who, before Faulkner, was the first and only U.S. citizen to ever win in this event.
Despite her whirlwind victory, Faulkner’s Olympic career is far from over. She will also race again on Tuesday in the team pursuit. Additionally, Faulkner has also made public her plans to compete again in 2028 in the Los Angeles Games. And if her time today is any indication (Faulkner finished the 98-mile race in under 4 hours), she will qualify for the Games with ease. Here’s to hoping we see more amazing things from Kristen Faulkner in 2028. She is a testament to taking the leap and chasing your dreams.
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