Who is Kristen Faulkner? Cyclist ends 40-year drought for U.S. women at 2024 Paris Olympics

Kristen Faulkner ended a 40-year drought for the U.S. in the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday.

The 31-year-old became the first U.S. woman to win gold in the road race since Connie Carpenter did so in 1984 in Los Angeles. Faulkner won the race on the 158-kilometer course with a time of 3:59:23. Faulkner pulled away late from the competition, including the Netherlands' Marianne Vos, who took silver with a time of 4:00:21.

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Here's what you need to know about Faulkner, including how she got into the race and where she is from:

Who is Kristen Faulkner?

Faulkner is a 2016 graduate of Harvard, where she competed as a varsity rower. She holds the program record for the fastest 2-kilometer indoor rowing time for lightweight women. Prior to attending Harvard, she went to high school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

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According to her USA Cycling profile, Faulkner got into cycling while living in New York in 2016 and began racing for the TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank team in San Francisco after moving to the area in 2018.

On May 19, Faulkner won the national road racing title, 55 seconds ahead of former champion Ruth Edwards in West Virginia.

Women's road race results at 2024 Paris Olympics

First-, second- and third-place finishers win gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively.

1. Kristen Faulkner (USA): 3:59:23
2. Marianne Vos (Netherlands): 4:00:21
3. Lotte Kopecky (Belgium): 4:00:21
4. Blanka Vas (Hungary): 4:00:21
5. Pfeiffer Georgi (Great Britain): 4:00:21

How old is Kristen Faulkner?

Faulkner, born on Dec. 18, 1992, in Homer, Alaska, is 31 years old.

Kristen Faulkner was replacement on Team USA road race team

According to The Athletic, Faulkner was not originally supposed to race for the U.S. in the road race. However, after Taylor Knibb resigned from her position to focus on the time trial and triathlon events, Faulkner was named as her replacement for the race.

Four hours and 158 kilometers later, the move paid off with a historic gold medal for Faulkner Team USA.