WELLINGTON teenager Nick Etherton, aged 17 has narrowly missed out on qualifying for the finals of the downhill Mountain Bike World Cup series.

The competition, held in May, in Loudenvielle, in the French Pyrenees, was his first ever world cup event and saw the youngster miss out by just 0.8 of a second, racing for professional team MS Racing.

Nick, trains in Wales and Europe and regularly uses Wellington Leisure Centre when he's home.
Nick, trains in Wales and Europe and regularly uses Wellington Leisure Centre when he is home. (Contributed)

World cup downhill races involve several days of track practice before riders compete for a place in the finals on courses featuring jumps, rocky descents, root sections, and speeds of up to 30 mph.

Nick trains locally, in Wales, and across Europe, and regularly uses Wellington Leisure Centre and Spartan Gym, balancing studying A-levels online, alongside his training and racing commitments.