Duncan has been plagued by injuries during her stellar WMX career and could quite easily be an eight-time world champion by now.
In each of the championship years she missed out, Duncan was leading the title chase when struck by misfortune.
She missed out in her first three attempts (2016-18), won the next three (2019-21) but again came unstuck in 2022 before once again proving she’s the best.
Missing out last year motivated Duncan to push herself even harder in 2023.
“Getting knocked down last year was a bit of a reality check,” she said. “I knew after that things had to change if I wanted to win another championship.
“There was a lot of personal drive that went into this campaign and that we had to figure out what was needed to get back on top.
“Even when you’re winning, things have to change if you want to stay on top. I realised what I was doing wasn’t quite good enough and I needed to step up.
“I was happy just riding the bike, but this year that wasn’t enough and so I started doing specific training and had a better campaign structure to make sure I would win another championship.
“You have to keep evolving and not keep doing the same thing every year, as nothing will change.”
Running from March to September, the WMX title is difficult to contest for a New Zealander, with all six rounds in Europe and up to three months between race weekends. Of this season’s top 30 riders, 27 were from continental Europe.
“It’s a long, drawn-out season, that’s for sure. Staying focused isn’t too much of a problem, it’s more about the length of time you have to carry the pressure [of winning].
“As hard as you try not to think about it, carrying the pressure of winning a championship is always there. The hardest part was having that long break in the middle of the season.
“I still had the championship in the back of my mind, but I love what I do, so staying focused on the riding is not that hard.”
This year saw the biggest field of riders in the series. The popularity of the championship continues to improve, as does the quality of the field.
“There’s a wide age range now, with some riders in their 30s and others still teenagers. The competition is definitely rising and the races are getting harder, which is what I like.
“It keeps you on your toes and makes you better. It was only a couple of hours after winning this title that I was starting to think about winning a fifth one.
“I love what I do and was starting to figure out a plan for what to do next year, but then thought I’d better enjoy this one first.”
