The battle for the downhill rainbow jerseys came to life on finals day at the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Champéry, Switzerland.
Sunshine dried out the notorious track after a week of rain, but the steep, root-laced slopes still demanded precision and courage from the world’s best
For the ARA Australian Cycling Team Australia, Elise Empey was first to roll out of the start hut.
The Victorian has been battling back from a serious injury suffered only a month ago and showed resilience to make it to the start line.
Elise Empey finished in 30th.
She looked sharp through the top sections, but continued to lose time on the clock, eventually placing outside the front group.
Sacha Mills faced her own challenges after a heavy crash in practice left her sore heading into finals.
The Queenslander dug deep to deliver a safe and composed run, crossing the line in 28th place.
Sacha Mills kept it rubber side up during her race run.
By the time the men’s field got underway, the track had become rougher and quicker, with deep ruts forming in key sections.
Kye A’Hern was the first Australian on course, setting an early benchmark.
Oliver Davis followed, attacking hard from the start.
He briefly held second on the hot seat before being pushed down the rankings, finishing 25th in a tight mid-pack battle.
Teammates Jackson Frew and Jackson Connelly also got down cleanly to lock in their results on a demanding course.
Jackson Frew during his finals run in Champery
National champion Luke Meier-Smith showed flashes of his trademark pace, finding rhythm through the middle of the run. Despite the effort, he crossed the line seven seconds adrift of the winning time.
That left Troy Brosnan as the final Australian down the hill. Racing his 15th world championships, the Adelaide veteran carried memories of podiums past into Champéry.
He was on pace through the top sections, but lost time in the rough lower slopes, eventually slotting into 10th place — another solid result on the biggest stage.
Troy Brosnan the top Australian rider in 10th
Results
Elite Men
🥇Jackson Goldstone (CAN) 2:54.153
🥈Henri Kiefer (GER)
🥉Ronan Dunne +1.993
10 Troy Brosnan (AUS) +6.206
17 Luke Meier-Smith (AUS) +7.036
25 Oliver Davis (AUS) +9.160
36 Jackson Connelly (AUS) +11.958
46 Kye A’Hern (AUS) +16.053
48 Jackson Frew (AUS) +17.904
Elite Women
🥇Valentina Höll (AUT) 3:27.136
🥈Myriam Nicole (FRA) +0.667
🥉Marine Cabirou (FRA) +1.091
28 Sacha Mills (AUS) +28.368
30 Elise Empey (AUS) +32.569
Full results can be found here.
Photo Credit: SWPix