Luke Meier-Smith proved his worth to new sponsor; Giant Factory Off-Road Team. The 20-year-old turned in a near-perfect run on a gnarly track to take the National title.
The race, part of the Thredbo Cannonball Festival, was open to international riders, with the top Australian named national champion. Canadian prodigy Jackson Goldstone posted the fastest time, but Meier-Smith, finishing second at less than 1.5 seconds back from a rider that is looking at World Cup podiums this year alongside veteran Australian pro Troy Brosnan, who finished third overall.
“What a week,” said Meier-Smith after his win. “Jackson beat me but I couldn’t really care. I’ve worked a long time to achieve this, so I’m so stoked. I’ve been feeling the best I ever have on my bike this month, and have been working hard in the gym, so a lot of momentum has been building up to our national championships in Thredbo.”
After a crash in qualifying, Meier-Smith bounced back quickly to lay down a flawless finals run.
“I was way back in qualifying as a result of the crash, and my right arm had some muscle tension coming into race day. For finals I managed to keep it together and put down the race run I wanted to have in qualifying. I had more nerves sitting in the hot seat than during my actual race run, that’s for sure. But I’m so pumped to be the new Australian national champion!”