Australian success on final day of Masters World Championships

The Australian and Spanish anthems were a popular choice on the final day of the 2025 Masters Mountain Bike National Championships in Cairns.

It was the cross-country riders time to shine on a course which has hosted a number of memorable moments in recent years.

And one of those would occur again today in the 40-44 age group as Jon Odams barnstormed his way to his very first master’s world championship title.

The Victorian, who started on the back of the grid, fought his way through the pack in the first lap to be racing up alongside defending champion Adrian Jackson at the front of the race.

By the halfway mark Odams had made a decisive move and powered away in the process over-taking Brazilian Diego Ortiz Vicenti the leader of the 35-39 age group.

It would be another South American victory in the 45-49 before Mark Leis restored the national pride with a 8 second win in the 50-54 category.

Netherlands Egeben Jensen Palle and David “Tinker” Juarez defended their crowns from 2024, along with New Zealand’s Gary Moller and Steve Moffat.

Craig Peacock would stand on top of an all-Australian podium in the 65-69 age group.

Local and oldest rider at the event John Leslie made it a memorable race day on his home course taking out the 80-84 category.

Beverly Anderson and Sharon Heap again made sure they added the rainbow stripes to their national championship win earlier in the year.

While Melissa Ansett produced a powerhouse performance to out gun the field in the 50-54 category.

Another Australian anthem was on the loudspeaker when Nina Wright stood on top of the podium in the 45-49 after four brutal laps of the course.

Argentina’s Maria Emilia Filgueira won the gold in the 40-44 while the Brazil emotion was also on show when Meire Lilian Da Silva Alacantra made it two from two world titles in Australia.

Full results can be found here.