PARIS — With the Eiffel Tower behind her and the sun shining at the Paris Olympics, Kristen Faulkner stood atop the podium, her hand over her heart, as the American national anthem played.
She closed her eyes briefly as the enormity of her victory in the women’s road race began to sink in.
Faulkner, a former Harvard rower who made the Olympic team only as an alternate, became the first American rower in 40 years to medal in the event.
She timed her attack perfectly against riders far more experienced than her, including Dutchwoman Marianne Vos, one of the greatest female cyclists of all time.
“It’s a dream come true,” Faulkner said. “It’s the best feeling in the world. I don’t know how to describe it.”
The 158-kilometre (98-mile) course started and finished in Paris, with Faulkner crossing the line at the Trocadero in a fraction under four hours.
Faulkner finished 58 seconds ahead of Vos, Lotte Kopecky of Belgium and Blanka Vas of Hungary, who were separated by a photo finish, with Vos taking silver and Kopecky taking bronze.
Faulkner and Kopecky caught Vos and Vas with about three kilometers to go. As Faulkner attacked, the other three hesitated and were unable to catch her.
She had only the Eiffel Tower and glory in front of her.
The 31-year-old Alaska native is the first American woman to win a road race medal of any color since the 1984 Los Angeles Games, when Connie Carpenter and Alexi Grewal swept the golds.
Faulkner followed a tortuous path to professional cycling.
She was a college rower at Harvard, then went into investment banking after graduating in 2016. She started riding for fun on the streets of New York City, and in her first year as a professional, she went on to work full-time for a Silicon Valley firm.
“I took a very big risk a few years ago to come and fulfill my dream,” she said. “I managed to fulfill it.”
Faulkner only learned how to clip pedals in 2017.
“It’s been a fast trajectory,” she explained. “Even for the people closest to me, it’s been a whirlwind.”
Her approach to cycling was shaped through her work as a venture capitalist.
“I learned to calculate and assess risks,” she said. “In racing, I always have that mindset: What is the risk/reward ratio? Knowing when to go all out.”
Faulkner won the U.S. road race title in May but didn’t qualify for the Olympic road race because Chloe Dygert and U.S. time trial champion Taylor Knibb earned the two automatic selections. It wasn’t until Knibb withdrew last month to focus on the Olympic triathlon that Faulkner was added as an alternate.
She is now aiming for a second medal, in the team pursuit, which will begin on Tuesday with the qualifications.
“I said I would only do the road race if I felt strong and if I felt confident I had a chance to medal,” Faulkner said. “I knew it would be a very tough race, but if I ran it, I ran to win. That was a promise I made to my team pursuit teammates.”
A huge crowd cheered the runners as they passed through Paris’ Latin Quarter and then past the Musée d’Orsay, once a train station.
The hike ended with three climbs to Montmartre, the Paris neighborhood known for its cobblestone passages, quaint artistic atmosphere and, most visibly, the white Sacré-Cœur basilica perched imperiously atop Montmartre Hill as if watching over Parisians.
Afghan sisters Fariba and Yulduz Hashimi briefly took part in the early morning breakaway, but were quickly caught. Slovakia’s Nora Jencusova then broke away alone before being joined by the Hashimi and two other riders.
After entering Paris, the riders passed the crowd gathered around the Louvre museum, which houses the Mona Lisa, and the breakaway was swallowed up by the peloton.
As the riders tackled the iconic one-kilometer climb of Butte-Montmartre for the first time, a new group formed at the front: Vos, Italian Elisa Longo Borghini and Faulkner. Kopecky continued alone and caught the lead group with about 40 kilometers to go.
Defending champion Anna Kiesenhofer of Austria, who won the race in Tokyo because everyone forgot she was in front, finished nearly eight minutes behind in 52nd place.
With 20 kilometres to go, Vos and Bas attacked but were unable to extend the gap sufficiently and Faulkner waited patiently.
“I knew Kopecky wanted to catch the first two, so I knew she would ride with me. I knew if we caught them, I had to attack because I couldn’t beat any of them on the line,” Faulkner said. “The best place to attack was right after we caught them and everyone was tired. That was my chance, I’ve practiced my late attack a few times this year.”
Faulkner ended the Americans’ long wait for a road race medal dating back to the Los Angeles Games.
She will now be able to defend her medal there in 2028.
___
AP sports writer Dave Skretta contributed to this report from Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France. ___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paris-olympics-2024
