Olympians and rising stars line up at 2025 Oceania Mountain Bike Championships
Olympians and rising stars have descended on Coronet Peak, Queenstown, New Zealand for the 2025 Oceania Mountain Bike Championships.
Oceania titles will be decided in Cross-country (elite, under 23 and junior), downhill (elite and junior) and for the first time Cross-country Short Circuit.
In Cross-country events Anton Cooper (New Zealand) is chasing his ninth elite title in a row having dominated the event over the last decade. He won’t have it all his own way with former under 19 champion and newly crowned Australian Champion Sam Fox eyeing the top spot.
Samara Maxwell (New Zealand) is eyeing elite title number two and the former under 23 world champion looks likely to storm home with former winner Rebecca Henderson (Australia) a late withdrawal due to injury.
Expect to see a hotly contested battle in the under 23 men’s race with Ethan Rose chasing a third consecutive under 23 and Joel Dodds with two silver medals to his name looking to reverse the result and take the title. Coen Nicol (New Zealand) and Reuben Page-Brown (Australia) have both tasted recent success in the Oceania Continental Mountain Bike Series and will be names to watch.
With last year’s under 23 winner Izzy Flint (Australia) moving up to the elite ranks in 2025 a new champion will be crowned. Having finished second and third a year ago Marie Laurie (New Zealand) and Amelie Mackay (New Zealand) are looking to take the stop step for themselves. Ella Menigoz (Australia) won two rounds of the Oceania Continental Mountain Bike Series and is looking to stake her own claim.
In the under 19 men’s defending champion Fletcher Adams (New Zealand) will go head to head with Australia’s Connor Wright who won the Australian title a week ago and was third fastest against elite and under 23 riders.
A new champion will be crowned in the under 19 women’s with all three podium finishers from a year ago not here.
Elite and under 23 fields will be combined for the first edition of the Cross-country Short Circuit.
In downhill races a new champion will be crowned in the elite fields with Luke Meier-Smith (Australia), former medallist Sam Gale (Australia) and third place in the Oceania Continental Mountain Bike Series standings Jackson Connolly (Australia) among the names to watch in the men’s and Jess Blewitt (New Zealand) and Kalani Muirhead (New Zealand) in the women’s.
The top three from 2024 in the under 19 men’s downhill Lachlan Roberts (Australia), Hudson Tarling (Australia) and Cooper Northey (Australia) are all back and with Oceania Continental Mountain Bike Series winners Rory Meek (New Zealand), Tyler Waite (New Zealand) and five time podium finisher Oli Clark (Australia) making it one of the events of the weekend to watch.
Eliana Hulsebosch (New Zealand) will be the name to watch in the under 19 women’s downhill and will be racing against 2024 silver medallist Bellah Birchall (New Zealand) and Oceania Continental Mountain Bike Series winners Indy Deavoll (New Zealand) and Kate Hastings (New Zealand).