Kristen Faulkner has been on a whirlwind tour since winning two gold medals at the Paris Olympics. On Saturday, Dec. 28, she made one of her final stops before some well-deserved downtime, meeting with a small group of local residents and dignitaries in Kenai at an event put on by the joint Kenai and Soldotna Chambers of Commerce.
The Homer native spoke to the small group, sharing about her experience in Paris, then took time to answer questions, pose for pictures, and soak in the appreciation of people from home.
“It’s been really busy. You know, I’ve been doing a lot of really great speaking events, Faulkner said. “I’m trying to do a lot of them because it’s so fun to see my hometown, but it has been very busy.”
The Cities of Soldotna and Kenai, as well as the Kenai Peninsula Borough, presented Faulkner with proclamations celebrating her accomplishment. Mayors Brian Gabriel of Kenai and Paul Whitney of Soldotna presented their proclamations jointly, announcing that in both cities, Dec. 28 would now be officially known as Kristen Faulkner Day. The borough proclamation was presented by borough mayor Peter Micciche.
Faulkner shocked the world on Aug. 4, 2024, when, as an alternate, she won gold in the women’s cycling road race–a four-hour, 100-mile race that hadn’t seen an American atop the podium in 40 years. Then, not satisfied with a single victory, she won a second gold medal in women’s track cycling team pursuit.
The now two-time gold medalist, who graduated from Harvard, left a successful career in venture capital to pursue a dream of cycling, a sport she’d never competed in before turning 24. Faulkner said she is driven by just doing what she loves.
“I actually really enjoyed venture capital. We were there supporting entrepreneurs who were starting really innovative businesses and changing the world, and that was really exciting for me. Then I fell in love with cycling, and I think with everything, I just want to be as good as I can be and push myself and challenge myself,” said Faulkner. “It’s your passion for the sport or for the job that kind of keeps you through those hard times.”
Faulkner knows her success has inspired many–cyclists, athletes, Alaskans, just to name a few–but says being an inspiration to kids, especially young women, is extra special. “I want young girls to know that they can be professional athletes too,” she said. “If I can inspire the young kids to dream big and to see themselves as professional athletes one day or really just achieving anything they set their mind to, that’s the most exciting for me.”
As for what’s next, the Olympic champion says she hopes to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and defend her gold medals.
