Kangaroo on the course, favourite on the ground: Bak Klaris takes surprise Gravel Worlds victory ahead of Vermeersch

Denmark's Magnus Bak Klaris emerged victorious from a thrilling four rider sprint in Nannup on Sunday, beating defending champion Florian Vermeersch and Britain's Connor Swift after 144 kilometres of demanding gravel racing.

The biggest disappointment belonged to Mads Würtz Schmidt. The European champion and Unbound Gravel winner had looked like the strongest rider in the finale, launching several attacks before crashing on a technical descent. Although he managed to rejoin the leaders, he ultimately finished fourth.

The race had already produced an unexpected moment when a kangaroo bounded onto the road in front of a group of contenders approaching the Ellis Creek climb.

Several riders had to brake sharply to avoid the animal, but the group continued without incident.

The encounter added a distinctly Australian flavour to the championships, held outside Europe for the first time. The challenging course featured approximately 3,700 metres of climbing, with repeated short ascents and loose gravel making it one of the toughest editions yet.

Earlier, Peter Schulting, Lukas Pöstlberger and Jenson Young had established a breakaway advantage of around three minutes. Schulting and Pöstlberger remained ahead deep into the race before the favourites finally reeled them in.

Schmidt took control of the racing in the final 25 kilometres, repeatedly accelerating on the climbs and forcing his rivals onto the defensive.

Vermeersch briefly struggled with the pace but fought his way back into contention. Alongside Swift and Bak Klaris, he survived another series of attacks as the race approached its decisive moments.

With around four kilometres remaining, Schmidt attacked again, only for Swift to respond. The Dane continued pushing on the descent but lost control in a gravel corner and crashed.

Despite quickly remounting and chasing back to the leaders, Schmidt could not prevent the race from coming down to a four rider sprint.

Swift opened his effort early, but Bak Klaris timed his acceleration perfectly and surged past the Briton in the final metres.

Vermeersch came closest to denying the Dane, crossing the line second as his hopes of retaining the rainbow jersey disappeared. Swift completed the podium, with Schmidt fourth.