DOWNHILL mountain biking star Tracy Moseley made it 13th time lucky after being crowned world champion.

The rider, from Storridge near Malvern, claimed the gold medal at the UCI Championship in Monte Sainte Anne, Canada, with a massive victory margin of seven seconds.

Having finished runner-up on two previous occasions, the 29-year-old finally went one better on a challenging course in difficult weather conditions. It completes a season which also saw Moseley finish in the bronze medal position in the World Cup Series, an event she also won in 2006.

She said: “I have been racing for 15 years and I have taken part in 13 world championships and never won it so it’s been a long road.

“I have had a pretty amazing career in the sport but this is the biggest thing you can win. It feels I have ticked off everything I wanted to do in the sport.

“This has made it possibly the most successful season ever. Up until this point I had been disappointed but winning the world championship has made it a pretty amazing year.”

Elsewhere, fellow Malvern ace Liam Killeen finished seventh in the cross-country event and was the first Great Britain rider to cross the line.