Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anton Cooper has reclaimed the New Zealand cross-country title after winning the elite men's race in Rotorua.
In a repeat of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Cooper held off fellow New Zealand representative Sam Gaze in the Whakarewarewa Forest on Saturday, during the Mountain Bike National Championships.
After both riders cleared out from the field early and headed into the last lap of the race side-by-side, Gaze made a mistake, with his front wheel getting wedged in a tree. This provided Cooper the opportunity to seize control and go on to win by 1min 10sec (finishing in 1hr 30min 40sec).
Rotorua's Dirk Peters finished third about three minutes back from Cooper.
"I really wanted to get the jersey again," an elated Cooper said. "I love wearing it overseas so I decided to focus on it [the elite race] a bit more, and it paid off.