Zoe Cuthbert (cycling) made history at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games when she won silver in the women’s cross-country event, Australia’s best result medal in mountain biking.

Cuthbert, who calls herself the “Flying Racoon” (the Instagram handle she created when she was 12), comes from an extreme sports family. Her mother Tara competed at the X Games in rock climbing, while her father Paul is an accomplished ultra-marathoner and multi-day adventure racer.

Zoe joined the Canberra Off-Road Cyclists Club junior program and entered her first race aged eight where she finished last after her bike chain broke. She quickly rose through the ranks and in 2019 won Australian mountain bike junior titles in cross-country, cross-country short circuit, relay and enduro. She followed that with the Oceania title in cross-country and a fifth placing in the world junior championships.

Before each race, Cuthbert likes to attach a local flower to her bike to see how long it can remain in place.

Zoe is studying a Bachelor of Design at the Australian National University.