Marie-Hélène Prémont of Chateau-Richer, Que., won the bronze medal in the season finale in World Cup mountain biking Sunday in Austria and was crowned the overall champion on the circuit for 2008. Prémont and Catharine Pendrel of Kamloops, B.C., took the top two places in the season standings.

In Sunday's women's cross-country race, Maja Wloszczowska of Poland was the winner in one hour, 26 minutes and 42 seconds over 26.5 kilometres. Irina Kalentieva of Russia was second, 37 seconds behind the winner, and Prémont followed 1:05 back of first place.

Pendrel, fourth at the Olympic Games last month, was eighth and Sandra Walter of Victoria 31st.

In the overall standings, Prémont tabulated 1,580 points in the nine-race series. She won two gold, three silver and two bronze before Sunday's eighth medal performance.

Pendrel followed at 1,243 with three medal performances — one of each colour.

In Sunday's men's race, Christoph Sauser of Switzerland took the gold with Jose Antonio Hermida Ramos of Spain second and his compatriot Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez third.

Geoff Kabush of Victoria was 12th. Kabush finished fourth in the World Cup standings with three medal performances this season — a silver and two bronze.

Julien Absalon of France, a five-time winner this season, was first overall.

Courtesy Canadian Sport News