McConnell went into the final round in Val di Sole, Italy 50 points behind current leader Anne Terpstra, with newly crowned UCI MTB short track overall winner Alessandra Keller in third.
With Terpstra suffering from illness, Keller rode a strong race to leapfrog both and snatch the overall title for the very first time, finishing on 1682 points to McConnell’s 1626 and Terpstra’s 1618.
McConnell finished the race in 19th, the result put down to tiredness by McConnell after a stellar start to the World Cup season for the Australian.
“I needed a lot to go really go right today to be in the mix to take the win," said McConnell. “I gave my best at every single race, there was some bad luck some amazing performances and to finish second in the overall is amazing.
“I think winning World Cups takes a toll on you, and you have to learn how to win. I can go into the off-season with a lot of things to work on.
“I’m really motivated to come back next season.”
McConnell won the first three rounds of the 2022 season in Brazil, Germany and the Czech Republic.
She opted to skip the Commonwealth Games to stay fresh for her World Cup bid, and also only raced the XCO and avoided the XCC during the World Championships, run a week before the final World Cup round.
