Faulkner Wins Gold in Paris

Kristen Faulkner, the winner of Charleston’s 2024 Elite/U23 Road Race (and her first National Championship), now is an Olympic Champion! Faulkner, who raced in May’s USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships in Charleston, won the gold medal in Paris Sunday. Faulkner’s win is the first Team USA Road Race Medal in 40 years.

While in Charleston, Kristen earned her Stars and Stripes Jersey and explored some local cuisine. Check out the video by Have Fun WV to see what this Olympic Gold Medalist eats!

Faulkner is from the small fishing village of Homer, Alaska, where her parents still reside. She graduated from Harvard in 2016 and was a varsity rower for two years in college. Faulkner currently holds Harvard’s record for the fastest 2k erg time for lightweight women. In 2016, Faulkner started cycling and fell in love with the sport. By mid-2018, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and in 2020, began racing for Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank.

Mark your calendars, May 20 – 25, 2025, for the USA Cycling Pro Road Nationals return to Charleston. It will be your next opportunity to see potential Olympians race through the streets.