Ryan Gilchrist wins Pump Track World Championships in all-Aussie final

Ryan Gilchrist has been crowned the 2024 UCI Pump Track World Champion, defeating AJ Donald in a thrilling all-Australian showdown in South Africa.

After advancing through intense elimination rounds, the pair went head-to-head in a battle for the rainbow jersey at the Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships at KwaMashu on Durban’s north coast on Saturday.

Having previously finished 10^th and 5^th at the Pump Track World Championships, Gilchrist looked to be a man on a mission, improving his lap time with each round.

But the New South Welshman saved his best for last, storming to victory and clinching the world title with a time of 17.028 second - the fastest lap time of the day.

It caps off an incredible year for Gilchrist who took out the AusCycling Pump Track National Championships, won the E-Enduro UCI World Cup overall title and was crowned the King of Crankworx.

“Being World Champion is probably the best feeling of my life. 2024 has already been a year to remember: World Cup Overall, Crankworx and now a rainbow jersey,” the 22-year-old said.

“Not everything went perfect today - it was all about building towards the final and I was stoked to get faster and faster through the rounds. The rainbow jersey has been on my bucket list since I was 10, so winning [it] on a mountain bike is incredible.”

Gilchrist is the first mountain biker since Tommy Zula at the inaugural Pump Track World Championships in 2018 to take top honours.

Gilchrist’s win completed a dominant performance by the Australian men at this year’s pump track world championships.

Josh Jolly set the fastest time in seeding.

Junior BMX Racing world champion Josh Jolly was looking dangerous in the early racing, setting the fastest lap time in seeding on Friday, before finishing 6^th overall in finals.

After winning the Australian qualifying round earlier this year, AJ Donald overcame defending champion Alec Bobs (USA) and 2023 bronze medallist Eddy CLERTÉ (FRA) in the semi-final to set-up the all-Australian final, and pushed Gilchrist all the way to finish just 0.3 seconds behind.

AJ Donald, Cassie Voysey, Ryan Gilchrist and Josh Jolly at Pump Track Worlds in Durban.

In the elite women’s competition, Cassie Voysey flew the flag for Australia,putting down some solid runs to finish 17^th. Czechoslovakia’s Sabina Košárková took the overall win with a time of 19.100 seconds.

Watch the replay here.

Photos: Dan Griffiths/@moonhead_media