Jump to content

Annie Last

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Annie Last
Annie Last in 2012
Personal information
Born (1990-09-07) 7 September 1990 (age 34)[1]
Bakewell, Derbyshire
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Weight59 kg (130 lb)
Team information
Current teamKMC-Ekoï-SR Suntour
DisciplineCross-country mountain biking, cyclo-cross
RoleRider
Professional teams
2012Milka Superior
2013–2014Trek Factory Racing
2016-2017Silverback OMX Pro Team
2018-KMC-Ekoï-SR Suntour
Major wins
Mountain bike
National XC Championships
(2010, 2011, 2014–2019, 2022)
XC World Cup
1 individual win (2017)
Medal record
Women's mountain bike racing
Representing  Great Britain
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2010 Mont-Sainte-Anne Cross-country (U23)
Silver medal – second place 2011 Champéry Cross-country (U23)
Silver medal – second place 2017 Cairns Cross-country
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast Cross-country

Annie Last (born 7 September 1990), is an English professional cyclist, representing Great Britain and England, who specialises in mountain biking and cyclo-cross. She was chosen as a female competitor in the cross country mountain bike event for the Great Britain team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, going on to take 8th place.

Last won the silver medal in the mountain bike cross-country event at the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, before taking the gold medal in the same event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She competed at the 2018 Cross Country European Championships.

Career

[edit]

Last was introduced to mountain biking by her father and brother, Tom as she accompanied them on racing trips.[1] In 2009, she joined the British Cycling Olympic Academy programme, and was originally expected to be a potential athlete for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[3] During the two-year-long build up for the 2012 Summer Olympics, she elected to compete in full adult competition instead of the under-23 events she was normally entitled to enter. This was in order to enhance her chances of competing at the Games.[4]

At the World Cup event in Dalby Forest during May 2011, she finished a career best of 14th place.[5] At the first World Cup event of 2012, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, she placed ninth, although at one point she was leading the race.[3] She finished one place better, in 8th place, at the World Cup event in La Bresse, and later another 9th-place finish in Windham in the United States.[6]

Her qualification for the 2012 Olympics came down to the World Cup event in La Bresse in May 2012. Great Britain did not get an automatic qualification spot for the women's mountain biking event, and so finishes in international events were required for the team to gain a place at the Games in the event.[7] She finished eighth at the event, giving Great Britain a spot at the Olympics in her event, and was expected to be announced in the British team for the Games.[4] Her place in the women's cross country was later confirmed along with Liam Killeen, who will compete in the men's competition.[8]

In March, 2017, Last took part in the eight-day Absa Cape Epic stage race for the first time and finished second with South African partner Mariske Strauss. It was Last's first Cape Epic, which takes place in the Western Cape, South Africa, every year. The 2017 route was 651 km in total. She continued her good form later that season by taking her first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup win in Lenzerheide, Switzerland in July, becoming the first British woman to win a cross-country World Cup event since Caroline Alexander's victory in Sankt Wendel, Germany in 1997.[9] She went on to finish second at the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Cairns, Australia in September, becoming the first British female medallist in the elite cross-country event.[10] Annie Last and her partner Mariske Strauss worked to stay on GC podium at the 2018 Cape Epic after Strauss fell ill before the second last stage.[11] Last broke through Canada's hold of, and earning England's first Commonwealth Games gold medal in the women's cross country at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.[12]

She has been a member of professional mountain bike teams Milka-Superior, Trek Factory Racing, and Silverback [13] OMX Pro Team.[14] [15][16] She currently races for KMC-Ekoï-SR Suntour.

Personal life

[edit]

Last has deferred attending university to study medicine in order to be a professional mountain biker.[4] Her brother, Tom, was also a professional mountain bike and road cyclist before becoming a presenter for Global Cycling Network.[17]

Major results

[edit]

Cyclo-cross

[edit]
2006–2007
National Trophy Series
2nd Cheltenham
3rd Derby
2011–2012
3rd National Championships
2012–2013
3rd National Championships
2014–2015
3rd National Championships
2021–2022
2nd National Championships
National Trophy Series
3rd Gravesend

Mountain bike

[edit]
2008
1st Cross-country, National Junior Championships
2010
1st Cross-country, National Championships
2nd Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships
2011
1st Cross-country, National Championships
2nd Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships
2012
BMC Racing Cup
1st Basel
1st Davos
National XC Series
1st Dalby Forest
1st Sherwood Pines
UCI XCO World Cup
3rd Val d'Isère
2014
1st Cross-country, National Championships
National XC Series
2nd Sherwood Pines
2015
1st Cross-country, National Championships
National XC Series
1st Glasgow
1st Plymouth
2016
1st Cross-country, National Championships
National XC Series
2nd Dalby Forest
2017
1st Cross-country, National Championships
UCI XCO World Cup
1st Lenzerheide
National XC Series
1st Dalby Forest
2nd Cross-country, UCI World Championships
2nd Overall Cape Epic (with Mariske Strauss)
1st Stage 6
2018
1st Cross country, Commonwealth Games
1st Cross-country, National Championships
National XC Series
1st Dalby Forest
3rd Overall Cape Epic (with Mariske Strauss)
2019
1st Cross-country, National Championships
Copa Catalana Internacional
1st Banyoles
National XC Series
1st Cannock Chase
1st Sherwood Pines
UCI XCC World Cup
2nd Nové Město
UCI XCO World Cup
3rd Snowshoe
2020
Copa Catalana Internacional
3rd Banyoles
2021
UCI XCC World Cup
3rd Albstadt
2022
National XCO Championships
1st Cross-country
1st Short track
National XC Series
1st Newcastleton
2nd Marathon, UCI World Championships
Copa Catalana Internacional
3rd Banyoles
2023
XCC French Cup
1st Guéret
Shimano Super Cup
2nd Baza

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Annie Last". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 June 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  2. ^ "Annie Last". Team England. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b Shea, Julian (29 March 2012). "Mountain biker Annie Last proves 2012 medal potential at World Cup opener". Metro. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  4. ^ a b c Cook, Sarah (21 May 2012). "London 2012: Annie Last secures GB mountain bike place". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Annie Last enjoys Mountain Bike World Cup success". BBC Sport. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  6. ^ "Another 9th place for Annie Last in Windham USA". Milka Superior Mountain Bike Racing Team. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Team GB's Annie Last on cusp of Olympic qualification". BBC Sport. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  8. ^ Shea, Julian (14 June 2012). "Mountain biker Annie Last delighted at prospect of Olympic bow". Metro. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  9. ^ "Annie Last makes history with stunning UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup victory". British Cycling. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Mountain Bike World Championships: Annie Last wins GB's first elite women's cross-country medal". bbc.co.uk. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  11. ^ Buick, Anna (18 March 2018). "Cape Epic 2018". OMX Pro Team. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  12. ^ Barrett, Wil (12 April 2018). "Annie Last Brings Home Commonwealth Gold! Plus, Evie Richards With Silver!". Singletrack. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Silverback Bikes - Lightweight Performance Bicycles - Best in class". Silverback Bikes. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Annie Last". Milka Superior Mountainbike Racing Team. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  15. ^ "McConnell, Henderson and Last join Trek Factory Racing". CyclingNews.com. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  16. ^ Allen, Kane (6 January 2016). "Annie Last Signs for the Novus OMX Pro Team". Singletrack. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Tom Last". Global Cycling Network. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
[edit]