When Faulkner won the gold in the women’s road race, everyone was fascinated by the venture-capitalist-turned-pro-cyclist. She had quit her job in 2021 to focus on training full time, a move that was a calculated risk that took guts. When asked what gave her the confidence and any if she had any advice who might want to make a similar move —in sports or in life — she gave a good approach.
‘I knew that I didn’t have all the answers, but I was very confident that I could find the answers and that I could figure it out. I think that came from 25 years of my life of doing things as a beginner, not knowing how to do it, not knowing all the answers.”
She pointed out she’s always tried new things, whether that was sports (she did crew in college), give a speech, or computer science at Harvard. It’s that satisfaction in trying new things and figuring it out that led to her leap of faith.
“I think having put myself in so many situations in my life where I was like, I don’t yet know the answers. I don’t yet know how to figure this out. I don’t yet know the solution. I don’t yet know the next steps, but I have confidence that with hard work, curiosity, humility, taking feedback that I’ll get to where I need to go.”
So, when she left her job, she knew she’d either figure it out or at least have answers in a year and wouldn’t be left wondering ‘what if’.
Kirsten Faulkner poses with her two gold medals.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
While she downplays the risk it was to make the dramatic career change, she did add she had been preparing for that moment her whole life.
“The best way to prepare for a big decision like that is to make micro decisions your entire life for 25 years and do that over and over.”
“You can build the confidence that, I don’t have the answers now, but I believe that I have the kind of the problem-solving skills to figure out whatever life throws at me.”
She believes it’s something you must do and can’t be told or taught and with each time you can up the risk just a little bit more.
“You can’t just tell someone they have to experience it in their life over and over and over and each time they do something a little harder, a little harder, a little harder, they’re going to build that muscle more and more and more.”
So, while for some her move into the sport seems like a big decision only made a few years ago, for Faulkner it was a lifetime of small choices and confidence building that led her to being the two-time Olympic champion in Paris.
She’s not done yet. She revealed she’s already thinking about L.A. (the 2028 Games). In addition to competing in the women’s team pursuit and road race again, she’d love to add a third race in the road time trial.
In the meantime, there’s no rest for the weary. The women’s Tour de France starts next week, which she will compete in.
Winning in Paris won’t change her approach for the short or long term: “It’s just taking it one step at a time and keeping the bigger visions in the back of my mind, but really focusing on the baby steps in the day-to-day in the process to get there.”
Source link : https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/us-cyclist-kristen-faulkner-knew-racing-meant-winning-gold-not-once-twice
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Publish date : 2024-08-10 01:01:28
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