Olympic medalist and world champion died last week in California
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Kelly Catlin won bronze in the Individual Pursuit during the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn(Image credit: Getty Images)
Kelly Catlin won bronze in the Individual Pursuit during the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn(Image credit: Getty Images)
Kelly Catlin on the podium after winning the silver medal in the Team Pursuit at the 2016 Rio Olympics(Image credit: Getty Images)
Sarah Hammer (L), Jennifer Valente (2nd L), Chloe Dygert (2nd R) and Kelly Catlin (R) of USA celebrate their gold medal after winning the Women's Team Pursuit Final
Kelly Catlin won bronze in the Individual Pursuit during the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn(Image credit: Getty Images)
USA Cycling has created the Kelly Catlin Fund in memory of the Olympic medalist and three-time world champion who died last week in California. The governing body announced the fund today in a statement sent to media, saying funds collected through the memorial will be dedicated to "programs or services as determined after consulting with the Catlin Family at a later date."
“Kelly was many things to many people,” said Mark Catlin, Kelly’s father, “She was a daughter, a sister, a friend and teammate, a scholar, a cyclist, a musician and an artist. We hope that through this fund Kelly’s legacy will continue to live on.”
As a member of the USA Cycling National Team, Catlin won three Team Pursuit world championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and she won a silver medal in the Team Pursuit at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Catlin also won bronze at the 2017 and 2018 UCI Track World Championships in the Individual Pursuit. On the road, Catlin raced with Rally UHC Cycling professional women's team, taking second in the US criterium championship last year.
"Kelly brought a certain spark to the team whenever they were together, whether it was for a training camp or a competition,” said Gary Sutton, head track endurance coach for USA Cycling. “Her quiet focus and work ethic spurred the other women to give 100 per cent every time they got on the bike. Kelly will be missed by all of us and will never be far from our minds.”
Catlin was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. She earned bachelor’s degrees in biomedical engineering and Chinese from the University of Minnesota in 2018 and was pursuing a master’s degree in Computational and Mathematical Engineering at Stanford University. Catlin was discovered March 7 in her on-campus housing after she committed suicide. She was 23.
Catlin's death caused shock and grief among the extended cycling community, with an outpouring of condolences for her family and friends coming from around the globe.
“Kelly accomplished more by the age of 23 than many accomplish in a lifetime,” said Rob DeMartini, president and CEO of USA Cycling, “The magnitude of her passing has been felt across our entire community. We know, that through this fund, Kelly will continue to make a difference.”
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