Will Ireland and Ellie Smith capped off the 2026 AusCycling Downhill National Series with standout victories at Awaba in New South Wales over the weekend.
After Ireland opened the his series with a 16th-place finish at Falls Creek, the Port Stephens rider stormed to his first elite men’s national series win on his home track.
A special win for Will Ireland in front of family and friends.
The Hunter Mountain Bike Club rider delivered a scorching final run at Awaba, edging out Forbidden teammate Troy Weinert by 83 thousandths of a second, while Duke Millington rounded out the podium in third.
In the elite women’s, Ellie Smith rekindled fond memories at the venue where she claimed the GWM Mountain Bike National Championships in 2024.
The Central Coast rider laid down an impressive run to secure the gold on Sunday − her first of the series.
The last time Ellie Smith won a National Series round was in 2024.
In the junior men’s, Daniel Turkovic showed why he is the reigning national champion, setting the fastest time at every split to claim victory by more than three seconds ahead of Bryn Couzin and Archie Young.
Meanwhile, Sydney’s Zuri Acheson claimed her first win of the season in the junior women’s race, finishing ahead of Rebecca Sams and Katarina Carlsson.
There was plenty of talent on show in the under 17’s category with Kirrily Gates posting the fastest time of the day for the women with a 3:56.605, while Asha Eddey’s time of 3:33.899 was the third fastest overall in the men.
Jindabyne's Asha Eddey turned heads with a standout performance during his finals run.
Full results can be found here.
Elite Men’s Results
🥇 Will Ireland 3:33.603
🥈 Troy Weinert +0:00.083
🥉 Duke Millington + 0:04.822
Elite Women’s Results
🥇 Ellie Smith 4:03.288
Junior Men’s Results
🥇 Daniel Turkovic 3:34.040
🥈 Bryn Couzin +0:03.906
🥉 Archie Young +0:04.942
Junior Women’s Results
🥇 Zuri Acheson 4:01.614
🥈 Rebecca Sams +0:02.230
🥉 Katarina Carlsson +0:08.239
Photo Credit: SCPhotography