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Catch up on the champions crowned in Cairns
The race for the rainbow stripes didn't disappoint. Watch the replay, winning runs and get the results from a weekend of DH action Down Under!
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Men's downhill final highlights
The first rider down in the Elite race, Sam Hill schooled the DH field on his Enduro rig. The Australian showed that, despite a season of focusing on Enduro, his downhill skills hadn't been getting rusty and managed to stay in the hot seat until hometown favourite Mick Hannah hit the track.
Home favourite Mick Hannah got silver
© Nathan Hughes
A flawless run and blistering pace enabled Hannah to hold the top spot until rider number 6, Loïc Bruni, took to the track. Breaths were held as the Frenchman flew over the line to look back at a green light only a mere 0.339s faster than Hannah's time.
Gold was taken by the flying Frenchman
© Nathan Hughes
It was now a waiting game for Bruni, as the remaining five riders took to the jungle track. Jack Moir was on the gas with his run and plenty of encouragement from the crowd powered him into a final position of fourth.
Jack Moir flies towards the finish
© Nathan Hughes
After being close to Bruni's time in the first split Greg Minnaar's run came to a disappointing end, as he suffered from a flat rear tyre. Overall World Cup winner Aaron Gwin managed to claw the final medal and sealed bronze, but was unable to match the times of Bruni and Hannah. Neither Danny Hart or Troy Brosnan could match Bruni's pace and he went on to take his second Elite World Championship title.
Gwin secured bronze
© Nathan Hughes
Loïc Bruni's winning run
Rank
Rider
Result
1
Loïc Bruni
3:26.656
2
Mick Hannah
+0.339
3
Aaron Gwin
+1.967
4
Jack Moir
+2.601
5
Troy Brosnan
+2.993
Women's downhill final highlights
Before the finals even kicked off there was turbulence in the women's field. With defending world champion Rachel Atherton watching the racing from a hospital bed in Cairns after sustaining a broken collarbone in practice.
GB team-mate to Atherton, Tahnée Seagrave, was putting in a storming run and had a five second advantage on the field until a nasty over the bars crash put an end to her World Championship dreams.
Gunning for a hometown victory, Tracey Hannah was a firm fan favourite all weekend. It looked like the stripes would be hers until a crash wiped her out. A bit dazed by the off she jumped back on her bike and amazingly still managed to secure third place.
A crash for Tracey Hannah placed her in third
© Nathan Hughes
There was a mistake in the timing of Pompom's run
© Nathan Hughes
The last woman on the hill was France's Myriam Nicole, while an anxious Miranda Miller sat in the hot seat seeing if the Frenchwoman could knock her from the top spot. Timing issues with Nicole's run made a confusing end for the women's race, as despite no visible crashes Nicole's run was registered as being over 46 seconds back from Miller's. After contesting the times the UCI admitted to there being a mistake on the initial timing and Nicole was awarded silver.
Miranda Miller's winning run
World Championships are won when a race run just comes together and Miller proved that when she secured gold at Cairns. As others crashed out around her it was the calm Canadian that walked away with the rainbow stripes. Watch her winning run in the player above.
Canada's Miranda Miller pinning the track
© Nathan Hughes
Women's downhill results
Rank
Rider
Result
1
Miranda Miller
4:10.245
2
Myriam Nicole
+0.097
3
Tracey Hannah
+1.985
4
Eleonora Farina
+4.923
5
Danielle Beecroft
+9.116
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