Just six years after Kristen Faulkner began cycling, the San Francisco resident dusted the competition and crossed the finish line well ahead of second place to win gold in the road race.
“This is a dream come true,” Faulkner told NBC Sports while standing in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. “I’m still looking at that finish line sign wondering how my name got there.”
There was no drama at the end of the 158-kilometer race after Faulkner pulled away from the pack with around three kilometers left in the race and cemented herself as the first American to win the event since Connie Carpenter-Phinney in 1984.
“I just counted to 10 about 10 times until I hit the finish line,” Faulkner said.
She was 58 seconds ahead of the Netherlands’ silver medalist Marianne Vos as Faulkner finished the race in 3:59.23.
Faulkner originally was not going to participate in the event. The former venture capitalist was a replacement for Taylor Knibb, who gave up her spot in the road race to focus on other events in the time trial and triathlon.
Growing up in Alaska, Faulkner was an avid hiker and enjoyed rowing. She continued to pursue her passion when she attended Harvard, where she became part of the crew team. The 31-year-old did not begin cycling until she moved to New York to start her job.
“I took a really big risk a few years ago to come to pursue my dream,” she told the Associated Press. “I made it happen.”
Lafayette’s Moroz off to great start in kitesurfing
Kitesurfer Daniela Moroz of Lafayette is on track to medal after the first day of kitesurfing, standing in third place following the initial four races.
She placed seventh, third, fourth and then first in the races at the Marseille Mariana. In her one win, Moroz finished in 11 minutes, 22 seconds.
The daughter of Czech immigrants, her parents helped instill a love of the sport into the Campolindo alum. Moroz is a favorite to win gold, having already captured six world championships.
“Obviously I’m going to represent myself and my country,” Daniela told the Bay Area News Group before the games started. “But it’s for my parents too.”
There are four races each of the next three days to determine standings before the medal round on Thursday.
Morikawa finishes middle-of-the-pack
Cal alum Collin Morikawa finished 24th out of 60 after four rounds of golf, shooting a par 70 during Sunday’s final round.
Countryman Scottie Scheffler took gold for the Americans, while Xander Schauffele concluded his gold medal defense by finishing tied for ninth.
Morikawa, 27, was coming off a Tokyo Olympics in which he had made it all the way to a bronze medal playoff.
Hayward’s Gray, Walnut Creek’s Ionescu finish group play in style
A second straight slow start for the U.S. wasn’t enough to end the team’s now 58-game winning streak. Despite trailing by two points after one quarter, the U.S. team beat Germany 87-68 in Lille.
Jackie Young led the U.S. with 19 points, A’ja Wilson scored 14 and Breanna Stewart had 13. Hayward’s Chelsea Gray and Walnut Creek’s Sabrina Ionescu provided support off the bench for the team as they had the past two games.
Ionescu had six points and five assists, while Gray had two rebounds and two assists.
They were part of a tenacious team defense that helped keep Germany’s high-scoring Satou Sabally in check. After averaging 25 points per game in the first two games of group play, she was held to 6-of-18 shooting and just 15 points.
The result was irrelevant, with both teams having already secured their spots in the knockout stage. The Americans’ quarterfinal opponent will be determined later Sunday.
Massialas’ quick start not enough in men’s foil
France rallied against the U.S. to capture the men’s team foil bronze medal in front of an adoring home crowd at the Grand Palais despite a good start from Stanford alum Alexander Massialas.
France won 45-32 in a match that took 1:16.55.
Massialas helped the U.S. get out to a quick 5-2 lead in the first leg as the team looked to defend its bronze medal.
Nick Itkin followed Massialas for the U.S., and both benefited several times when French fencers Enzo Lefort and Maxime Pauty illegally covered eligible parts of their bodies.
However, the French quickly took control of the match after that, with the host nation leading 18-15 and never looking back afterward.
Miles Chamley-Watson, the third member of the American team and a 13-time Pan-American champion, briefly had to stop the match with France leading 27-23 after he injured his knee while lunging in for a strike.
Chamley-Watson was able to continue, but nothing would stop the French from medaling.