Athletes

Rebecca Henderson

Age
33
Disciplines
Mountain Bike
Categorisation
Podium Ready
Home state
Australian Capital Territory
State institute
ACT Academy of Sport

Rebecca Henderson first took up mountain biking when she was 11 years old joining the Canberra Off Road Cycling Club, which has seen her go from competing at local club races to a World Championship podium.

The Canberra local has dominated the Australian XCO scene over the past decade having claimed the Elite Women National Championship title 10 years in a row and has a total of 16 Australian titles, including a National Marathon Championships.

Rebecca has competed at three Olympic Games, her first being in the 2012 London Games as well as two Commonwealth Games with a Bronze in Glasgow her best result.

The majority of the Canberra rider’s success has come at the UCI MTB World Cup and World Championships.

Her first international podium came at the 2013 World Cup in Albstadt, Germany where she won the Under 23 XCO race.

In 2019, Rebecca had a breakthrough season claiming an historic bronze medal at the World Championships in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada, the first ever by an Australian woman. She would claim back-to-back World Championship bronze medals this time in Leogang, Austria. 

Rebecca's first XCO World Cup win came in the first race of the 2022 season at Brazil, before she then went on to complete a race XCC and XCO double at the second round in Albstadt, Germany.

In 2023, she would achieve a World Cup podium result three times, in Val di Sole, Snowshoe and Mont Sainte Anne as well as claim the Oceania title.

Rebecca made her fourth Olympic Games appearance at Paris 2024, finishing a career-best 13th.