Emily Benham Kvale

A woman in a GB cycling jersey is holding up a gold medal and smiling to the camera
Sporting hero

Emily Benham Kvale

Five times world champion in mountain bike orienteering

Emily is an unsung sporting hero of cycling: a Brit competing in a sport that is dominated by Scandinavian countries. She won her first elite medal in mountain bike orienteering in 2012, and went on to win her first world championship in 2016. She has now won the World MTBO Championships five times, with eight gold medals. In 2019 she won every single international event that she took part in, after taking a year out to have a baby.

“Since having kids, my body has become substantially better at riding long distances, and I prefer tough, physical mountain biking. The harder the better!”