Kristin Armstrong American cyclist Date of Birth: 11.08.1973 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Career
2. Cycling Breakthrough and Olympic Success
3. Temporary Retirement and Return
4. Defending Olympic Title and Controversy
5. Historic Third Olympic Gold Medal
6. Post-Cycling Career
7. Personal Life

Early Life and Career

Kristin Armstrong was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in both Tennessee and California. She attended high school in Havelock, North Carolina, and overseas in Okinawa, Japan, graduating from Kubasaki High School in 1991.

After graduating high school, Armstrong attended the University of Idaho in Moscow. There, she competed as a walk-on for the Vandals track and field team during the cross-country season and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She graduated from UI in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology.

Prior to her professional cycling career, Armstrong was a swimming junior Olympian, a collegiate distance runner, and a triathlete. She spent countless hours honing her stroke at the Boise YMCA, where she also worked as an aquatics director, supervising over 50 lifeguards, swim instructors, and others.

Cycling Breakthrough and Olympic Success

In 2001, at age 27, Armstrong was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hips and advised that she could no longer run at an elite level. This effectively ended her triathlon career and prompted her to focus solely on cycling.

A three-time national champion, Armstrong placed 8th (top American finisher) in the women's road race at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Armstrong achieved the pinnacle of her career, winning the gold medal in the women's time trial on August 13. Finishing in under 35 minutes, Armstrong beat silver medalist Emma Pooley of Great Britain by 25 seconds, with Karin Thürig of Switzerland taking the bronze.

Temporary Retirement and Return

In late 2010, Armstrong announced that she would return to competitive cycling with the goal of competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. In a written statement, she stated that her retirement was simply a hiatus to start a family: "I love cycling and I love to compete. I didn't stop racing after the 2009 World Championships because I was burnt out, I stopped because my husband and I wanted to start a family ... I told myself from the beginning that if everything went well with the birth of our son, Lucas William, I would think about racing again."

Armstrong returned to racing in 2011 with the Peanut Butter & Co. Team TWENTY12, which she co-owned. She won three out of four stages (criterium, road race, and time trial) and the overall title at the Sea Otter Classic in April. However, during the first stage of the Tour of the Gila, which she had won twice before, Armstrong came down with food poisoning. She ended up withdrawing from the race and returned home to recover.

Defending Olympic Title and Controversy

Armstrong successfully defended her Olympic title in the time trial at the 2012 Games in London, becoming the oldest female rider to ever win an Olympic time trial. She also placed 35th in the women's road race. She announced her retirement after the 2012 Olympics.

In September 2012, Armstrong's bike, with which she won Olympic gold in the time trial, was stolen while being shipped from Germany to the United States.

In April 2015, Armstrong announced her return from retirement to compete in the 2015 Pan American Road Championships in Leon, Mexico, after being selected by USA Cycling for the individual time trial. However, two days after the announcement of Armstrong's selection, the USA Cycling Selection Committee reconvened, ruling that the new selection process under which Armstrong had been chosen had not been published in a timely manner and that as a result, the federation's old Athlete Selection Principles, issued in 2008, should have been used for the Pan American Championship selection. As a result, Armstrong's spot was taken by Tayler Wiles. The following month, Armstrong won the USA Cycling National Time Trial Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee, over Carmen Small by 13 seconds.

Historic Third Olympic Gold Medal

In August 2016, Armstrong made history at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, coming out of retirement to win the gold medal in the women's individual time trial. She became the first rider to ever win three gold medals in the same discipline. She also became the oldest female cyclist to win an Olympic medal.

Post-Cycling Career

In September 2017, Armstrong joined USA Cycling as its Director of Endurance.

In December 2019, Armstrong created and launched her own cycling computer mount product line called KX3 Sports.

Personal Life

Armstrong's father was a U.S. Marine Corps officer. She is often confused with the ex-wife of fellow cyclist Lance Armstrong, who also was named Kristin. Cyclist Kristin Armstrong and Lance Armstrong are not related.

Armstrong is married to Joe Savola; their son Lucas William Savola was born on September 15, 2010. Four months before his birth, she gave the commencement speech at her alma mater in May 2010.