Kristen Faulkner achieved a historic milestone for Team USA at the Olympics by winning a gold medal in the women’s cycling road race event—a feat not accomplished since the 1984 Summer Games.
She captured the win in a thrilling finale on Sunday.
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Kristen Faulkner crosses the finish line in the women’s road cycling event at the Summer Olympics in Paris, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (Wu Huiwo/Pool Photo via Ap)
With around 3.4 kilometers remaining, Faulkner trailed behind Dutch cyclist Marianne Vos and Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky, while just edging out Hungary’s Blanka Vas. As she sat right behind Kopecky, Faulkner launched herself around the group.
She subsequently broke away, ultimately winning the gold medal by a margin of about a minute.
“It’s a dream come true,” she expressed. “It’s the best feeling in the world. I can’t even put it into words.”
“I recognized that Kopecky was keen to catch the front two, so I was confident she’d ride with me. I realized that once we caught them, I had to make my move since finishing strong against them would be a challenge. The optimal time to strike was right after we made the catch when everyone was exhausted. That was my moment; I practiced my late attack multiple times this year.”
Kristen Faulkner celebrates her victory in the women’s road cycling event at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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The last American women to medal in this event were from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles when Connie Carpenter-Phinney and Alexi Grewal took home gold and silver.
Interestingly, Faulkner was not initially expected to compete in this event.
Following the withdrawal of Taylor Knibb to concentrate on triathlon, Faulkner seized the opportunity and clinched the win.
Faulkner also triumphed in the Omloop van het Hageland and secured a stage victory at La Vuelta Femenina.
Kristen Faulkner bites her gold medal earned in the women’s road cycling event at the Paris Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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The next focus shifts to the National Velodrome of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines on Monday.
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