Aussie Downhillers Super Saturday As Meier-Smith Secures Silver

Remy Meier-Smith has won the junior men downhill silver medal at the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets, France.

Australia would finish the downhill finals with four riders inside the top 10 and another three securing top 20 rides.

The New South Wales athlete had an anxious wait in the hot seat after posting a time of 3:34:240 during his scorching run.

With two riders left on track it was just a matter of what colour the Aussie would take home.

Englishman Jordan Williams put down a heater of a run that would see him take the rainbow jersey it was now left with current world cup leader Jackson Goldstone to try as snatch a top two position.

The Canadian was unable to deliver which left the Aussie on the second step of the podium.

Meier-Smith would be joined in the top 10 by fellow Aussie Sasha KIm.

The Tasmanian produced the ride of his life as he watched more than 20 riders unable to unseat him from the hot seat.

Kim would eventually finish sixth overall at his very first World Championships.

Other Australian results Oliver Davis (26th), Kale Foale (34th), Mario Baldwin (35th) and Trent Beashel (53rd).

Ealier the junior women were the first to fly the Aussie flag and Elise Empey had her time in the number one spot.

The Victorian who just kept getting better in the run to the finals would finish sixth more than 20 seconds behind the eventual winner Jenna Hastings from New Zealand.

Queenslander Elle de Noyer also got in on the top 10 action on debut with an impressive ninth-place finish.

Connor Mielke finished 14th.

Ellie Smith would be the only elite woman in the field after Cassie Voysey didn’t start due to a shoulder injury.

The current Australian champion would walk away with 17th, +26 seconds behind eventual winner Valentina Höll from Austria.

Kye A'Hern was the first Aussie to really put down a scorcher.

The 2019 junior World Champion ensured his ride would see him finish in the top 20.

After watching his younger brother win silver only hours earlier Luke Meier-Smith tried to emulate his sibling

His run would see him with a 19th place finish two behind A'Hern.

Three time championship medallist Troy Brosnan dropped in with only 10 riders left, and pushed through to to record the fastest times at every split.

Seven months after breaking his ankle the South Australian found himself in the host seat after stopping the clock at 3:24:388

It would take four time world champion Loic Bruni to unseat the Aussie.

Brosnan was unable to stave off the French invasion as they filled out the podium, with the Adelaide rider in fourth.

Bruni would claim his his fifth rainbow jersey in front of a heaving parochial crowd.

Other Australian results Dean Lucas (27th), Jackson Frew (32nd) and Daniel Booker (47th).

Full results can be found here.

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Photo Credit: Matt Rousu Photography (Main Image) / Hixit