Five minutes with CBR Sport Awards finalist Rebecca McConnell

Posted on 12 December, 2020

Mountain biker and Olympian Rebecca McConnell discusses recovery, triumph and exciting news on her nomination for the CBR Sport Awards.

At only 10 years of age, Rebecca was already taking on the rigid terrain of Canberra and surrounds on her mountain bike alongside her family. Fast forward almost 20 years and Rebecca has paved an extraordinary career, representing Australia in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics in Mountain Bike Cross Country.

“I started young and riding bikes with my family at about 10 years old,” she remembers fondly. Now, Rebecca travels the world alongside husband and fellow professional mountain biker Dan McConnell. Together, the pair travel 6-8 months per year, mostly following races in Europe.

Since her first stint at the Olympics, Rebecca became one to watch for many mountain bike fans. However, as Rebecca’s career rose to new levels, the reality of competitive sport began to take a toll on her body and mind.

“In recent years I had to take a season off racing due to illness and exhaustion.” After taking the time to focus on healing and rest, Rebecca returned to professional sport in 2019. “[I] came back in 2019 to reach a new height in my career and now I am just working hard to maintain this dream I am currently living.”

Her return was triumphant. In her first year back Rebecca took out third place in the 2019 at the Mountain Biking WorldCchampionships in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada. And in October this year, Rebecca brought home the same podium finish at the 2020 Mountain Biking World Championships in Leogang, Austria.

Rebecca at the 2020 Mountain Biking World Championships.

“We were very lucky to have a ‘season’ despite only being three events in the space of two weeks,” says Rebecca. “It was a very quick trip to Europe but to pull off my second Bronze Medal at the World Championships was beyond amazing.”

An incredible result considering the current state of the world and the obstacles preventing traditional methods of training.

“To do it once was more than I had ever dreamed of, but to do it in such an unpredictable year is really special. I feel like it really gives me the confidence to believe in myself, that I am competitive with the best in the World and total trust in my training that no matter what happens, we can be ready.”

Now Rebecca’s goal is to attend the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

“My biggest motivation for 2021 is to continue to prove to myself about anything that I can keep racing at this level. To keep working on my weaknesses, learning from my mistakes and growing as an athlete, and person. Of course, Tokyo is a clear goal and the World Cup and World Championships races.”

But that’s not her only accolade for 2020. Rebecca has also been recognised by the local Canberra community, being nominated for a CBR Sport Award and placing as a finalist for Athlete of the Year.

The annual CBR Sport Awards pay homage to the incredible athletes that have come out of the ACT and their continuous impact on the community. This year’s virtual award night on Wednesday 16 December will celebrate the ability of sport to bring our diverse community together, building pride in our city and breaking down barriers of culture, class, and gender.

Whilst Rebecca believes that all athletes should be judged within their own sporting arenas, she is excited to be a part of the event that recognises diverse athletes in her local community.

“I think it’s really nice to be nominated for an award at the CBR Sport Awards,” she says. “I love to support other athletes and sports teams from Canberra and Australia, I just wish there was a way to celebrate everyone’s achievements. In saying that, the CBR Sport awards are a great acknowledgement of the amazing talent we have here in Canberra.”

There are a number of awards this year, including the Minister for Sport and Recreation’s Award for Inclusion, Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year and Team of the Year to name a few. You can participate by tuning in on Wednesday 16 December via the link on the CBR Sport Awards website, posted on the day of the event.

If you can’t virtually attend the awards, Rebecca encourages locals to get out riding in Canberra’s beautiful surrounds, with Stromlo Forest Park being Rebecca’s local track.

“I live so close to Stromlo Forest Park, it’s hard to go past that,” she says. “We have a worldclass facility on our doorstep on top of all the other amazing trails around Canberra. We are very lucky here.”