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Olympics

Olympics 2024: A hobby that resulted in gold for Kristen Faulkner

The gold medal in women's road race was USA's first since 1984.

Olympics 2024: A hobby that resulted in gold for Kristen Faulkner
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Kristen Faulkner won the gold medal in the women's road race at the Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

By

The Bridge Desk

Updated: 7 Aug 2024 4:48 PM GMT

Kristen Faulker won the gold medal in the women's road race at the Paris Olympics, making her the first Olympic gold medalist in this sport since 1984.

What makes this story even better is the fact that she won gold in a sport she took up as a hobby just six years ago when she moved to New York as a venture capitalist.

Having grown up in Alaska, Kristen took up competitive cycling to have an outdoor hobby. Despite having a successful career in finance, she quit the sport in 2021 to pursue competitive cycling full-time.

She recalls that she thought her stepping back from her career would be temporary and that she would get back after a few years. But destiny had other ideas.

In 2023, a fractured shin bone threatened to end her cycling career but thankfully for her, she was able to make a full recovery and get back into competitive cycling.

Kristen wasn’t supposed to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics but was called up in early July after Taylor Knibb resigned from the road race.

Although the gold medal was unlikely, it was a dream come true for Kristen, as she had dreamt of competing in the Olympics since watching the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

She now hopes to add to her medal tally, with the team event still to come.

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