(Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
They say you're never too old to pick up a new skill, but watching the Olympics, you might think that you have to start training at a really young age to have a chance to medal. But, one venture capitalist turned Olympian has won a gold medal in Paris, and she started training later in life. It's a super inspiring story that shows you should follow your heart and passions in life.
Venture Capitalist Turned Olympian Wins Gold
At the Paris Olympics, Kristen Faulkner became the first American rider to score gold in the women's road race in 40 years. The last American to earn that honor is Connie Carpenter, who won the gold in 1984 at the Los Angeles games. What's extra cool is that Faulkner just started the sport six years ago, so it's not like she's been training since she was a kid.
According to NBC News, the broadcasting home of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Faulkner grew up in the small town of Homer, Alaska, and enjoyed hiking and rowing as a kid. She attended Harvard University and joined the college's women's crew team. She graduated from Harvard in 2016.
Then, Faulkner moved to New York to start her career as a venture capitalist. But, something was missing. She started competitive cycling in 2017 to fill that void of being outdoors. "I still needed that outdoors fix that was such a big part of my life," she told NBC News.
She has become very successful in cycling but wasn't even on the roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. That changed when she was tapped to be on Team USA following Taylor Knibb resigning her place to spend more time getting ready for the Olympic time trial and triathlon events.
Faulkner, of course, is overjoyed. "This is a dream come true," she said in a conference after her winning race. "I'm still looking at that finish line sign wondering how my name got there."
Faulkner left the world of being a venture capitalist behind in 2021, when she quit and devoted herself to cycling full-time. She thought it would be a short-term thing, telling the Wall Street Journal, "I was like, 'This will be a two, three-year thing.'" But, it's lasted much longer. She also says her work as a venture capitalist helps her riding. Speaking with the Associated Press, she said, "I learned how to calculate risks and assess risks." I'm so happy to see Faulkner's success and hope to see her in the next games.
