Not long after winning the 2021 nationals, the Taupō-nui-a-Tia College Year 13 student had her spleen removed following a freak crash.
"I wasn't concentrating and belly-flopped onto the ground. One month later I had a splenectomy," Mia says.
No biking was allowed in the first six weeks after the operation, then it was slowly introduced over a five-month period. By October 2021, she was back to a full bike training schedule but the race calendar was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Before the 2022 nationals, I hadn't raced any competitors in a year, so I had no expectations going in."
Doing well at this year's nationals filled Mia with confidence she had made a full recovery "and that I am still up there".
"There is still the possibility that if I train hard I can get back to where I was before the injury."
She says it was great fun to be back racing and good to see some of the other competitors she knows.
Last year at the nationals, Louie, a Year 9 student at Taupō-nui-a-Tia College, was third in the under-15 male category and says this year he was hoping to finish in the top three, as he was racing in the same age category as last year.
Alex Botha of Pohutukawa Coast Bike Club was first, and riding the course with him in the days prior to the race, Louie says he had a sense Alex was going to be pretty fast.
Louie and third-placegetter James Climo (Te Miro MTB Club) both crashed on the first lap, "and after that, it was more of a race between James and me for second position and we had another little crash later in the race".
Louie managed to beat James by 21 seconds, coming in two minutes behind Alex.
No spectators were allowed at the nationals, but their dad Stew Cameron was there to support them in the feed and technical zone, while mum Jan Little watched the event online.
The kids say Stew keeps their bikes running smoothly while "Mum helps with everything off the bike".
In April, Mia is heading to Europe with Taupō teammate James Officer to join the New Zealand mountain biking team, Team Talley's Kiwi MTB Collective. She may come home at the start of July, but has an open return ticket if she decides to stay for the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets, France.
"I'm excited and nervous about racing in Europe."
Mia's plans for the future are flexible, her teachers are saying to her "go and have a good experience in Europe", and next year she may join Team Talley's on the world mountain biking tour or she may go to university.
The siblings credit each other for being great training partners.
"Louie pushes me the most," Mia says.
"Mia's my idol, I want to go to Europe when I'm older," Louie says.
They say they wouldn't be where they are without their parents, the Taupō MTB development squad, Mia's coach Mark (Cabin) Leishman, Mike from Pack & Peddle Taupō who maintains their bike, Pivot Bikes who supply their bikes and sponsor Bill Sinclair.
