It’s the fire in his belly that drives Anton Cooper to the top of the mountain.
The Commonwealth gold medallist and world under-23 mountain bike champion is blessed with a strong competitive streak, which fuels his desire to win.
Much of his success, he believes, comes down to wanting it more than the guy on the start-line next to him. “You have to have that hunger to win. Every part of you has to want it,” he says.
And what he wants now, above all else, is to win an Olympic medal. “It’s one of my childhood dreams,” he says. “I want to come in hot into Rio and give it a good nudge.”
Determination and exertion have also played their roles in Cooper’s incredible success so far. And while physical strength and skill on the bike put him in the leading pack, it’s his mental endurance that he believes gives him the edge.
“A lot of people have similar ability and strength, but if you’re mentally stronger than they are, if you’re willing to push the whole way and empty every last drop out of the tank, then you’ll probably win the race,” he says.
“You have to have a really strong will to succeed.”
Mountain bike racing is not short and sweet. Each race is around an hour and a half, but maintaining the intensity for the entire distance comes naturally to Cooper.
In a normal week’s training, he’ll spend 15 hours on his bike. But some weeks he’ll pedal for 27 hours. “Gym work can help, but ultimately you need to spend as many hours riding as you can,” he says.
He doesn’t mind spending five hours alone on forest trails. “Having other riders around can be nice. But when I train on my own, it means I can go at my own pace and be more specific in my training.”
And when the going gets tough in the heat of a race, he reminds himself of all those intense hours of training – and the fact that everyone else is hurting just as much as he is. “Training is painful, so the success is the best part.”
Keeping calm and composed is also key. During the mountain bike race on the Cathkin Braes tracks at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Cooper knew he was in with a chance of winning, but made sure to not let hope overwhelm him.
He just kept working through his usual processes, and made sure he read the other riders, choosing the best time to accelerate and break away. “You have to just act like it’s a normal race - even though you know you might win a gold medal.”
Cooper is motivated by the honour of representing his country: “New Zealand means a lot to me.” Wearing the silver fern in any international race gives him a huge surge of pride; wearing it at the “pinnacle” – an Olympic Games – would an even greater honour.