Oliver Davis

Young Achiever: Davis on track for success

OLIVER Davis can clearly recall the day his love of mountain bike riding began. He was 10 at the time. “One of my best friends bought a mountain bike and I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Davis said. “My family bought me one and then we just rode every day together. “It just escalated from there.” Davis competed in his first downhill race when he was 13 and by 2020 he was crowned the overall winner of the under-17s Victorian Downhill Series. To prove it was no fluke, he then claimed the feat again in the under-19s. But 2021 was the turning point for the 17-year-old as he embarked on a trip of a lifetime.

Based in Morzine, France, for five months, Davis completed seven rounds of the junior World Cup placing sixth overall in the under-19s. He finished fourth at rounds in France and America and mustered a fifth place effort in Switzerland against the world’s best. “I was living my dream every day, it was just amazing,” he said. “It was actually my first time on a plane going over there. “I got on the plane and it was kind of like I had to learn how to do things for myself now, which I really wanted to do. “My parents were really happy for me and wanted me to do well. “It wasn’t just about riding,
it was about learning and meeting people and seeing the best parts or Europe.” While it was the longest he had ever been away from his parents Aaron and Fiona, Davis was supported by his teammates and former Yackandandah locals Oliver and Ben Zwar.

Now back at home on the border, Davis is putting all of his energy into rehabilitation after breaking his leg just days before Christmas last year. “This is definitely by biggest injury,” he said. “It was a bit of a freaky sort of one. “I was riding up to Thredbo and it wasn’t a big crash, I just landed wrong on my leg and I think my bike hit it really hard. “We’re really trying to push it with the physio to see how early I can start weight baring and getting it moving.” Davis plans to return overseas in May where he will compete in the Junior World Cup series again as a top ager.

His desire to succeed sees him now nominated for the Young Achiever of the Year Award. “This is my last year in juniors so I really want to podium at as many races as I can,” he said. “A top three overall would be really, really good. “Last year I learnt so much and it will be so good this year to go back with all of that knowledge.”

Source – The Border Mail, 09.02.2022