'I took matters into my own hands' – Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner is using AI to hit her best-ever power numbers

Olympic road race champion Kristen Faulkner has harnessed artificial intelligence to achieve her best-ever 20-minute power output, crediting her self-developed AI system for this breakthrough. The EF Education-Oatly rider, who holds a computer science degree from Harvard, spent over two months coding daily to create a personalised model that analyses a wide range of biometric data, including heart rate, sleep patterns, weight fluctuations, power metrics, and menstrual cycle phases. By integrating 4,400 hours of her training history, Faulkner’s AI tool provides tailored insights that she says were previously unavailable in women’s sports science. Faulkner’s motivation stemmed from a lack of existing research focused on elite female athletes, prompting her to take control of her own performance analysis. She emphasised that traditional apps only offered fragmented data, making it difficult to synthesise a comprehensive understanding of her body’s responses. Her AI model, trained specifically on her personal data and history, has delivered actionable recommendations that she believes contributed to her recent success at the Pan American Championships, where she secured three gold medals across track and road disciplines. The American cyclist’s background in venture capital and computer science has clearly influenced her methodical approach to training and racing. Faulkner described how she would often dive into coding sessions immediately after rides, using AI as an extension of her analytical mindset that helped her win the Olympic road race in 2024 despite a relatively late start in professional cycling. She sees AI as a transformative tool for women’s performance research and is determined to be at the forefront of this emerging field. While AI-driven training platforms are becoming increasingly popular, experts caution that athletes must maintain a balance between data reliance and bodily intuition. David Bailey, head of sport science at NSN Cycling Team, highlighted the risk of recreational cyclists becoming overly dependent on AI recommendations without listening to their physical sensations. Faulkner’s story underscores the potential of personalised AI systems to revolutionise elite training, particularly for women, but also signals the need for thoughtful integration of technology with traditional coaching wisdom.