Annie Last

Last was introduced to mountain biking by her father and brother, Tom as she accompanied them on racing trips. In 2009, she joined the British Cycling Olympic Academy programme, and was originally expected to be a potential athlete for the 2016 Summer Olympics. 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.

At the World Cup event in Dalby Forest during May 2011, she finished a career best of 14th place.{{cite news|title=Annie Last enjoys Mountain Bike World Cup success|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/9494741.stm|accessdate=14 July 2012|newspaper=BBC Sport|date=24 May 2011}} At the first World Cup event of 2012, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, she placed ninth, although at one point she was leading the race.{{cite news|last=Shea|first=Julian|title=Mountain biker Annie Last proves 2012 medal potential at World Cup opener|url=http://www.metro.co.uk/olympics/894645-mountain-biker-annie-last-proves-2012-medal-potential-at-world-cup-opener|accessdate=14 July 2012|newspaper=Metro|date=29 March 2012}} 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.{{cite news|title=Another 9th place for Annie Last in Windham USA |url=http://www.mountainbikeracingteam.com/another-9th-place-annie-last-windham-usa |accessdate=14 July 2012 |newspaper=Milka Superior Mountain Bike Racing Team |date=30 June 2012 }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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.{{cite news|title=Team GB's Annie Last on cusp of Olympic qualification|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18123851|accessdate=14 July 2012|newspaper=BBC Sport|date=18 May 2012}} 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. Her place in the women's cross country was later confirmed along with Liam Killeen, who will compete in the men's competition.{{cite news|last=Shea|first=Julian|title=Mountain biker Annie Last delighted at prospect of Olympic bow|url=http://www.metro.co.uk/olympics/902062-mountain-biker-annie-last-delighted-at-prospect-of-olympic-bow|accessdate=14 July 2012|newspaper=Metro|date=14 June 2012}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/mtb/article/20170709-gb-cyclingteam-news-Richards-scores-fourth-successive-podium-with-third-at-UCI-Mountain-Bike-Cross-country-World-Cup-0 |title=Annie Last makes history with stunning UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup victory |author= |date=9 July 2017 |website=British Cycling |access-date=9 September 2017}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/41212917 |title=Mountain Bike World Championships: Annie Last wins GB's first elite women's cross-country medal |author= |date=9 September 2017 |website=bbc.co.uk |access-date=9 September 2017}} 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.{{cite news|last1=Buick|first1=Anna|title=Cape Epic 2018|url=http://omxprobike.com/2018/03/18/silverback-omx-to-race-cape-epic-2018/|accessdate=22 April 2018|work=OMX Pro Team|date=18 March 2018}} 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.{{cite news|last1=Barrett|first1=Wil|title=Annie Last Brings Home Commonwealth Gold! Plus, Evie Richards With Silver!|url=https://singletrackworld.com/2018/04/annie-last-brings-home-commonwealth-gold-plus-evie-richards-with-silver/|accessdate=21 April 2018|work=Singletrack|date=12 April 2018}}

She has been a member of professional mountain bike teams Milka-Superior, Trek Factory Racing, and Silverback {{Cite web|url=https://silverbacklab.com/|title=Silverback Bikes - Lightweight Performance Bicycles - Best in class|website=Silverback Bikes|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-12-19}} OMX Pro Team.{{cite web|title=Annie Last |url=http://www.mountainbikeracingteam.com/en-annie-last |publisher=Milka Superior Mountainbike Racing Team |accessdate=14 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813203810/http://www.mountainbikeracingteam.com/en-annie-last |archivedate=13 August 2012 }}

{{cite web|title=McConnell, Henderson and Last join Trek Factory Racing|date=23 January 2013 |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mcconnell-henderson-and-last-join-trek-factory-racing|publisher=CyclingNews.com|accessdate=28 January 2013}}{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Kane|title=Annie Last Signs for the Novus OMX Pro Team|url=https://singletrackworld.com/2016/01/annie-last-signs-for-the-novus-omx-pro-team/|accessdate=21 April 2018|work=Singletrack|date=6 January 2016}} She currently races for KMC-Ekoï-SR Suntour.

Last has deferred attending university to study medicine in order to be a professional mountain biker.{{cite news|last=Cook|first=Sarah|title=London 2012: Annie Last secures GB mountain bike place|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18148916|accessdate=14 July 2012|newspaper=BBC Sport|date=21 May 2012}} Her brother, Tom, was also a professional mountain bike and road cyclist before becoming a presenter for Global Cycling Network.{{Cite news|url=https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/presenters/tom-last|title=Tom Last|work=Global Cycling Network|access-date=2017-07-16|language=en-US}}

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;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

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;2008

: 1st 20px Cross-country, National Junior Championships

;2010

: 1st 20px Cross-country, National Championships

: 2nd 15px Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships

;2011

: 1st 20px Cross-country, National Championships

: 2nd 15px 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 20px Cross-country, National Championships

: National XC Series

::2nd Sherwood Pines

;2015

: 1st 20px Cross-country, National Championships

: National XC Series

::1st Glasgow

::1st Plymouth

;2016

: 1st 20px Cross-country, National Championships

: National XC Series

::2nd Dalby Forest

;2017

: 1st 20px Cross-country, National Championships

: UCI XCO World Cup

::1st Lenzerheide

: National XC Series

::1st Dalby Forest

: 2nd 15px Cross-country, UCI World Championships

: 2nd Overall Cape Epic (with Mariske Strauss)

::1st Stage 6

;2018

: 1st 15px Cross country, Commonwealth Games

: 1st 20px Cross-country, National Championships

: National XC Series

::1st Dalby Forest

: 3rd Overall Cape Epic (with Mariske Strauss)

;2019

: 1st 20px 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 20px Cross-country

::1st 20px Short track

: National XC Series

::1st Newcastleton

: 2nd 15px Marathon, UCI World Championships

: Copa Catalana Internacional

::3rd Banyoles

;2023

: XCC French Cup

::1st Guéret

: Shimano Super Cup

::2nd Baza

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{{reflist|2}}

{{Commons category|Annie Last}}

• [https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyclingteam/bio/Annie_Last Annie Last] at British Cycling
• [http://mtbcrosscountry.com/riders/annie-last/ Annie Last] at MTB Cross Country
• {{UCI|56214}}
• {{ProCyclingStats}}
• {{Cycling Archives}}
• {{Olympedia}}
• {{Team GB}}
• {{Team England|annie-last}}
• {{CGF profile}}
• {{2018 Commonwealth Games profile|cycling-mountain-bike/athlete-profile-n6033405-annie-last}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last, Annie}}

Category:1990 births

Category:Living people

Category:English female cyclists

Category:British female cyclists

Category:Cross-country mountain bikers

Category:British cyclo-cross cyclists

Category:Olympic cyclists for Great Britain

Category:Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Category:Commonwealth Games medallists in cycling

Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England

Category:Cyclists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Category:Sportspeople from Bakewell

Category:Sportspeople from Derbyshire

Category:Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

Category:Cyclists at the 2023 European Games

Category:European Games competitors for Great Britain

Category:21st-century English sportswomen

Category:People educated at Lady Manners School