Elleni Turkovic has claimed the elite women’s downhill title at the 2026 GWM Mountain Bike National Championships at Mt Buller.
In her first-year racing the category, the Garrigal Gorrilas rider put together the perfect run to claim her maiden elite national crown.
Elleni Turkovic's reaction post race win.
A field of 10 women dropped out of the start gate, with Ellie Smith the first to lay down a serious run.
The 2024 champion shaved more than 20 seconds off her seeding time and found herself on the hot-seat with four riders to come.
“It’s been the hardest 12 months of my life, so this is the best day,” she said when speaking of her horrific crash at Crankworx Rotorua last year that left her with serious injuries.
“I just pulled it together right in time for that last run and found the old Ellie a bit, which is cool.”
Ellie Smith took the silver medal.
Last year’s silver medallist Sacha Mills was unable to unseat Smith, before the defending champion Sian A’Hern dropped in but she too fell short of her time
That left Turkovic as the last one down the hill and she was in the green at each split as she stopped the clock in a time of 3:21.510.
“I was not expecting to be that fast. Conditions had really dried out,” she said.
The moment of her victory was not lost on her as she joined an elite group of women, with Smith in silver and A’Hern rounding out the podium.
“I’ve always been looking up to them so much and it’s so cool to be able to race against them.”
Sian A'Hern and new elite women's champion Elleni Turkovic embrace post race.
In the junior women, Tilly Boadle put down a heater in her finals run.
Tilly Boadle won her first junior national title.
The Red Hills Rider Club member also recorded the fastest time of the day in the women overall with a 3:17.915.
Zuri Acheson and Matilda Hennes filled out the minor placings.
RESULTS
DH - ELITE WOMEN
🥇 Elleni Turkovic – (Garrigal Gorrilas Inc) 3:21.510
🥈 Ellie Smith – (Central Coast MTB Inc) 3:26.589
🥉 Sian A’Hern (Canberra Off-Road Cyclists) 3:26.718
DH - JUNIOR WOMEN
🥇 Tilly Boadle – (Red Hill Riders Inc) 3:17.915
🥈 Zuri Acheson – (Garrigals Gorrilas Inc) 3:24.785
🥉 Matilda Henness – (Jindabyne Trail Stewardship) 3:32.573
Full results can be found here.
Photo Credit: Matt Rousu Photography