CHARLESTON, WV — The capital city is supporting an Olympic champion from its own country.

Kristen Faulkner, who won the gold medal in the women’s road race at the Paris Olympics over the weekend, also won first place at the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships in Charleston in May.

“It’s been incredibly wonderful and fun to watch this happen,” Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said Monday.

Kristen Faulkner takes first place in women’s elite road race @USABicycling‘s Road National Championships in Charleston, WV earlier this summer and is now an Olympic gold medalist! Congrats, Kristen – #West Pacific proud of you! picture.twitter.com/xTpZcQJqI0

— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) August 4, 2024

Faulkner, from Homer, Alaska, won the Olympic road race after a teammate dropped out to focus on another event, according to the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Faulkner beat 92 other riders in the 158-kilometer race.

Faulkner won the elite women’s race in Charleston.

“He trained here and he competed here,” Goodwin said on 580Live with Dave Allen on Monday.

The USA Cycling Championships were held in Charleston for the first time. Four more years are planned. An economic impact study shows the May event had a $4.6 million impact on Charleston and the surrounding area.