Rebecca Henderson (cyclist)

Rebecca Henderson (born 27 September 1991), for some years competing as Rebecca McConnell, is an Australian mountain biker. She represented Australia at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics in the Mountain Bike Cross Country event. She came 28th at the 2020 Olympics.[1]

Rebecca Henderson
Henderson in 2017
Personal information
NicknameBec
Born (1991-09-27) 27 September 1991 (age 32)
Canberra, Australia
Height158 cm (5 ft 2 in)
Weight49 kg (108 lb)
Team information
DisciplineMountain Bike (Cross Country)
RoleRider
Amateur teams
Canberra Off Road Cyclists
Vikings Cycling Club
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Women's mountain bike racing
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Mont-Sainte-Anne Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Leogang Cross-country
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Glasgow Cross country

Henderson won a bronze medal at the 2019 and 2020 Mountain Bike World Championships.

Personal life edit

Nicknamed Bec, Henderson was born on 27 September 1991 in Canberra, Australia.[2][3] She attended Monash Primary School before going to high school at Mackillop Catholic College.[2][3] As of 2020, she lives in Canberra, Australia.[4] Henderson is 158 centimetres (62 in) tall and weighs 49 kilograms (108 lb).[2]

She married her coach and partner, Daniel McConnell, in 2017;[5] he is also an Olympian. After they separated, she returned to using her maiden name in early 2023.[6]

Cycling edit

Henderson is a mountain biker, specialising in cross country events.[2][3][7] She started cycling when she was twelve years old.[3] She was coached by Dan McConnell, an Australian male cyclist who was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[2][3][8][9] Her primary cycling base is Canberra[2][3] She is a member of the Canberra Off Road Cyclists[2][3] and Vikings Cycling Club ACT.[3] As of June 2012, she was 2nd in the Under 23 World Cup series in 2012 and she is currently ranked 32nd in the World.[9]

Henderson finished 1st at the 2011 U23 Australian Championships in Adelaide, Australia.[2][3] She finished 1st at the 2011 U23 Oceania Championships in Shepparton, Australia.[2][3] She finished 7th at the 2011 U23 UCI MTB World Cup in Dalby Forest, England.[2][3]

Henderson finished 3rd at the 2012 U23 UCI MTB World Cup 5 in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada.[2] She finished 2nd at the 2012 U23 UCI MTB World Cup 4 in La Bresse, France.[2] She finished 13th at the 2012 U23 UCI MTB World Cup 3 in Nové Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic.[2] She finished 3rd at the 2012 U23 UCI MTB World Cup 2 in Houffalize, Belgium.[2]

Henderson has been selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Mountain Bike Cross Country — Women event.[2][7][8][9] She was one of four Canberra cyclists from three different cycling disciplines selected to represent Australia at the Games.[8] Her family was scheduled to travel to London to watch her compete.[8]

Henderson finished third in the cross-country at the 2019 World Championships in Mont Sainte Anne.[10] She repeated her result again at the 2020 World Championships in Leogang.[11]

Henderson was selected to represent Australian in mountain biking at the Tokyo Olympics.[12] She finished the Olympics in 28th place.[13]

2022 UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP edit

1st CZ MERCEDES-BENZ UCI MTB WORLD CUP – XCO/XCC Nove Mesto Na Morave / WC

1st DE MERCEDES-BENZ UCI MTB WORLD CUP – XCO/XCC Albstadt / WC

1st BR MERCEDES-BENZ UCI MTB WORLD CUP – XCO/XCC Petropolis / WC

2nd Biker Final Standing 2022

References edit

  1. ^ "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "London 2012 – Rebecca Henderson". Australia: Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Rebecca Henderson". Australia: Cycling Australia. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  4. ^ Moore, Sarah (6 August 2020). "Getting to Know: Australian XC MTB Champion Bec McConnell". Pinkbike. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Mountain biking McConnells making history in Tokyo". Commonwealth Games Australia. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  6. ^ Migue, A. (13 February 2023). "McConnell goes back to Bec Henderson and wins the Australian XCO and XCC Championships". brujulabike.com. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Cyclist O'Grady off to sixth Olympics". Nine MSN. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d "Henderson keeps mum on surprise Olympic selection". The Canberra Times. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  9. ^ a b c "Olympic mountain bike team named". Nine MSN. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  10. ^ Hurford, Molly (10 September 2019). "Why Bec McConnell Just Might Be the Comeback Story of the Season". Bicycling. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Pauline Ferrand-Prevot wins Elite Women Cross Country title at Mountain Bike World Championships". CyclingNews. 10 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Bec and Dan McConnell are going to the Tokyo Olympics!". Flow Mountain Bike. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Swiss sweep mountain bike medals in wet". Yahoo! Sports. Australian Associated Press. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.