South African mountain biker and cross-country cyclist, Candice Lill won a silver medal at the 2023 UCI Marathon World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
South Africa’s Pro MTB racer Candice Lill at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. Picture: candice_mtb/Instagram.
JOHANNESBURG – South African mountain biker and cross-country cyclist Candice Lill is a force to be reckoned with. She has cemented her name in the cycling sphere.
Having recently competed at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland, the cyclist is prepping to raise the flag high at the Cross-Country World Cup Andorra.
READ: SA Pro MTB racer Candice Lill wins silver medal at World Champs
“I am racing a World Cup Cross-Country this coming weekend, 25-27 August in Andorra. I am feeling great off the back of my World Champs campaign. My main focus remains on executing my race plan the best way I can on the day, and letting the magic happen from there,” she said.
Lill won a silver medal at the 2023 UCI Marathon World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
Candice Lill claimed second place at the XCM World Champs, only 54 sec behind winner Mona Mitterwalner! It’s amazing what you can do when you take the bulls by the horns – thank you for putting a big smile on all our faces!@Team_Mzansi#GlasgowScotland2023 #TeamSA pic.twitter.com/CcDPyme9tu
‘ Cycling South Africa (@Cycling_SA) August 6, 2023
The World Championships hosted 13 disciplines making it the biggest-ever cycling event with South Africa competing in nine of the disciplines.
“Well, it wasn’t a World Champs win but a silver medal felt like a huge personal win for me. I’m incredibly happy and proud of my silver medal but being so close to my lifelong dream of being world champion definitely has me hungry and motivated for more,” said Lill to Eyewitness News.
The Pro MTB racer claimed second place at the XCM World Champs, only 54 seconds behind winner Mona Mitterwalner.
“Going into the last 20km of the race, I was 2 minutes behind the leader and I thought to myself, ‘Just stick to your race plan and keep pushing.’ In my mind I expected the leader to open the gap on me, but by the end, it was only by 54 seconds.”
The Durban-born cyclist said she has learned to celebrate every good result and performance. She added that professional sport is a string of lessons intertwined with some moments where all the hard-learned lessons pay off, making it rewarding.
BRONZE! #B2022MTBCycling
A solid shift by Candice Lill was enough to see her clinch bronze for Mzansi.
Well done, Candice! ????????????. #TeamSA #CommonwealthGames pic.twitter.com/P6fRlXiBD6
‘ Team South Africa (@TeamSA2024) August 3, 2022
“As I’ve matured as an athlete and person, I’ve learned that there is no single correct way to have a career in sport and I’m sure in other industries too. Your career and how you approach it is uniquely yours. Try things, make mistakes, learn what works for you, and go after that path with all your heart. It doesn’t matter how long it might take, what other people are doing or what your picture of a professional sportsperson looks like. Make it yours and enjoy the journey.”
The 31-year-old first major win was a bronze medal at the age of 17 at the Junior XCO (cross-country mountain biking) World Championships held in Australia.
“I’ve also learned how to view a good performance. Sometimes my best performances have been in races that I didn’t win, or even come close. Take the focus off the results and focus all your energy on your process. ‘Bad races’ are ‘learning races’ if you let them be. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to win if you don’t first ‘lose’ or ‘learn’ many times. Embrace it.”
Congratulations to Carla Oberholzer from Demacon Pro Racing, the winner of the Elite ladies at the 947 Ride Joburg Criterium Race 2020! Well done to Candice Lill from Faces and Kim Le Court from Demacon Pro Racing finishing in third place #947ridejoburg #experiencelife #beat2020 pic.twitter.com/LXEhmlamCy
‘ Ride Joburg (@RideJoburg) November 15, 2020
In March, she was crowned the 2023 South African XCM Elite Women’s Champion at the inaugural Bike Festival in Paarl, and in June, she was crowned the CAC AFCON Champion at the CAC Mountain Bike African Championships at Thaba Trails Gauteng.
Speaking on her sporting code the King Price Xtreme cyclist said things may not be perfect but the has been great progress over the years.
“In my field (mountain biking), all events have equal prize money and mostly equal coverage. In terms of participation, I see growing numbers of women standing on start lines as well as groups of women out on the trails riding together.”
Lill hopes to ride at the Olympic Paris 2024 she’s the country at 2 Olympic Games (London and Tokyo), finished fifth in the World Cup Series U/23, won multiple national and continental championships, and finished second overall in the Cape Epic in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
Congratulations, Kim le Court on an incredible win just pipping Candice Lill on the line with Vera Looser in third! What an incredible race, ladies! #VirginActive947RideJoburgMTB @947 @virginactivesa @steyn_city pic.twitter.com/q1DZOhwsRS
‘ Ride Joburg (@RideJoburg) November 13, 2022
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