Surprise win masks the hard work ahead for Anton Cooper

Anton Cooper says he will need to show consistency during the World Cup season and at the World Championships in August.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Mountain bike star Anton Cooper admits he faces a tough couple of months as he attempts to return to peak form for the World Cup season in Europe.

Cooper surprised himself by retaining his Oceania cross country title in Queensland at the weekend while still suffering from the effects of glandular fever.

It is an important year for Cooper as he tries to lock in Olympic qualification.

A week ago, the 28-year-old admitted he was about to pull the pin on the trip to Queensland because he was still suffering from the disease which had also affected him at the Nationals earlier this month.

“I’d had a really unstructured training programme the last month, especially as you’d not know how you’d be feeling when you wake up.”

However, with world ranking points on the line at the Oceania Champs, he decided to go but had no expectations.

“I certainly surprised myself with my performance, I was nowhere near World Cup form, but it showed that even without the training, there was still a performance in the legs.”

The former world junior and under-23 cross country will be heading back for his 12th year as a pro rider.

The Olympic qualification period is for 12 months from May, and in that time Cooper said he would need to show consistency during the World Cup season and at the World Championships in August.

He has another month to get in some solid training from his home in Christchurch.

“I know there’s a long way to go, four weeks isn’t actually that long, it’s going to take months to build up to my best form, but I can still make quite a significant leap in four weeks if I can have some good consistent training.”

Anton Cooper competing in Europe
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

New Zealand is likely to get just one spot for the Olympics and there are three strong contenders in Cooper, Sam Gaze, and Ben Oliver.

“I know that if I perform well and consistently over the next year then that will seal the spot and that’s exactly the same for those other two guys as well,” Cooper said.

“I’ve been through it [the pressure] before leading up to Tokyo, but I have that pressure on me most years as we try and get the best out of ourselves and I don’t feel it changes just because its an Olympic year,” he said.

“The Olympics are still the pinnacle, I still want an Olympic medal and I really want to win at the Olympics.”

Cooper won Commonwealth Games gold in 2014 and silver in 2018.

Illness prevented him from competing at the 2016 Olympics, while he was sixth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

“The next two Olympics are probably my best chances after that I’d be getting a bit old,” Cooper said.

“[In] 2024 and 2028, I should be at my peak athletic age for a mountain biker, so I have to make the most of that opportunity.”