The World Cup Series of the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) first came to this rapidly developing city of Linyi in 2011. With it’s 2,400 year history and a population of over 10 million, the September 26/27  World Cup Stop will again attract thousands of spectators to enjoy the skills of  the world’s most talented Wakeboard riders. At that first event here four years ago, a spectacular grandstand was constructed on the banks of the Yi River to celebrate the occasion. This has since become a significant water-sports centre. Linyi is located south of Beijing on the main Beijing-Shanghai Expressway.

MasterCraft will once again provide the competition boats and technical support for this World Cup Stop. They have mastered the global logistics challenge from the very start which is an extraordinary achievement considering the fact that 44 Stops have been completed by the IWWF since the birth of this Series.

The current male and female IWWF World Wakeboard Champions will both join those athletes from 17 countries in Linyi, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Republic of South Africa, Russia, Sweden, Thailand and USA.

Last year, Australian riders in Linyi took four of the six available World Cup medals. Can they repeat this outstanding achievement ? Looking at their lineup for September 26/27, they might just do that. Certainly, the Pro Men will stand a good chance of dominating with 22 year-old World Wakeboard Champion Harley Clifford from Queensland,18 year-old Cory Teunissen from Brisbane and 19 year-old Tony Iacconi from New South Wales. Clifford, regarded as the most talented rider in the world today, captured both the coveted Moomba Masters and US Masters gold medals this year with an unprecedented perfect score at the Masters. He also won eight World Cup gold medals in recent years, including two at Linyi. Teunissen had a major victory last March when he beat all to take the Mandurah Western Australia World Cup gold medal. He already has a Junior Rookie of the Year title.  Iaconni took the silver medal in Linyi last year and added gold medals at both the Asia Oceania Wakeboard Championships and National Wakeboard Championships. This Australian trio will pose an enormous challenge to the others. However, Australia might struggle with the Pro Women. Their super stars Amber Wing and Bec Gange cannot attend. Wing and international rider Dean Smith recently celebrated the arrival of their baby boy William and Gange is recovering from injury. That will leave an interesting challenge for the very talented 17 year-old Australian Chloe Mills to fill the gap on the World Cup podium.

Pro Men Riders from Japan, Ireland, USA, Russia and others will certainly push hard to topple the Australian dominance of last year. Watch especially for Shota Tezuka JPN, David O’Caoimh IRL, Daniel Powers USA and Nikita Martyanov RUS. All are capable of getting on to that World Cup podium at this YiHe Open Wakeboard Championships. The Pro Women will also be very competitive with Raimi Merritt USA, the defending Linyi World Cup and World Champion, Nicola Butler USA, the 2015 Mandurah World Cup Champion and Caroline Djupsjo SWE, the Europe Africa Champion, having all performed well this season. The enormous number of cheering spectators in the grandstand and on the banks of the Yi River will certainly make this a very special event for all.

The local area weather forecast is good with temperatures expected to be a comfortable 25C / 77Fh.

Facebook & Twitter : #LinyiWorldCup

TV SHOWS – Immediately following the September 26/27 event, details of this YiHe Open / #LinyiWorldCup TV show will be announced on WaterskiandWakeboardWorldCup.com

Photo Albums & Updates – will be available here :

https://www.facebook.com/IWWFED

Results – will be available here :

http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/boatwake/competitions/2015

END

With our Mandurah World Cup Stop successfully completed last week in Western Australia,

we now look forward to the thrills and spills of our following Stops in

MANDURAH WESTERN AUSTRALIA

LINYI CHINA

SHANGHAI CHINA

PUTRAJAYA MALAYSIA

Watch out for our World Cup TV Shows, News Reports and Photo Albums along the way.

Details will be posted here

also on our IWWF Facebook Page

IWWF FACEBOOK

It was an extraordinary weekend at the 43^rd World Cup Stop of the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF). For the fourth time, the City of Mandurah included Wakeboard and Waterski Jump in their Action Sports Games. With Dolphins, Pelicans and over 100,000 spectators on site plus athletes from 21 countries, this turned out to be a very different competition.

Three World Champions were destined this weekend not to take top honors at the Mandurah World Cup ! Only one would succeed. Nobody expected what would emerge. MasterCraft again provided the World Cup boats and the support services.

On Friday, Tropical Cyclone Olwyn delivered wind gusts of over 200kph as it vented its fury on the coastline north of Mandurah. Anticipating approaching trouble on the water, IWWF officials declared that Friday Jump performances might be used as the official results if conditions deteriorated. As it turned out, this was a wise decision. For the Wakeboarders, they were more fortunate. Their time slots delivered reasonably good conditions and towards Sunday Finals time, blue skies and sunny weather returned once again.

The drama began for the Jumpers on Friday. As an extreme sport, approaching a Jump Ramp at over 120kph is challenging at the best of times. Early influences of Cyclone Olwyn were already creating choppy waters. For the Women’s,eight athletes chased four final’s places. Lauren Morgan USA, Marie Vympranietsova GRE on borrowed equipment, Nancy Chardin FRA and Marion Ellis FRA were unable to get beyond 44.8m to qualify. Then followed a fantastic battle for the Podium. June Fladborg DEN pushed hard for 46.0m but was quickly beaten by the top seeds Jutta Menistrina FIN and World Record Holder Natallia Travers. With Travers 46.6m on the board, only the current World Champion Jacinta Carroll AUS remained. Having won the Moomba Masters just last week, and true to form, her 48.8m was yet another victory.

On Friday March 13^th, thirteen Men Jumpers entered the water ! Conditions deteriorated and skies darkened. The first six Jumpers struggled for distance. Scot Ellis USA posted 55.2m at the half way mark. Now the battle was on. The Miranda brothers Felipe and Rodrigo CHI raised the tempo with 58.5m and 59.6m. Damien Sharman GBR failed to beat this as Igor Morozov RUS took the lead with an impressive 61.6m. Germany’s Bojan Schipner wowed the crowd with 63.3m to take the lead from the Russian. With just Ryan Dodd CAN and World Record Holder Freddy Krueger USA on the dock, a classic battle for gold lay ahead. Dodd immediately scored 64.0m on his final attempt as Krueger took to the water. Positioned back on his heels on Jumps 1 and 2 the fans could not believe their eyes his best was 55.1m so far. On Jump 3, often the clincher for Krueger, the SplashEye scoreboard showed 52.0m – and the World Record holder would not be on the Podium. In World Cup history, this was unprecedented. An IWWF World Champion was out of the medals !

For Women’s Wakeboard, the drama continued to make this an unforgettable weekend. With choppy waters, the Riders coped well. As usual, the Heats and LCQ’s saw the best survive – including the 16 year-old Australian sensation Chloe Mills. The outstanding performances at this point came from 2013 Mandurah World Cup winner Bec Gange AUS and IWWF World Champion Raimi Merritt USA. As the Finals began, more typical Mandurah weather returned. While Chloe Mills AUS and Ashley Leugner CAN performed well, the standard was just too high to progress. Bec Gange AUS was the first surprise. She was beaten by Sweden’s Rider of the Year, Carro Djupsjo. That left Nicola Butler USA who took silver here a year ago – and World Champion Raimi Merritt USA.  In execution, intensity and composition, Butler was sensational. Her score of 54.56 presented a huge challenge for Raimi Merritt. Although Merritt was highly impressive, Nicola Butler could not be beaten – even by a World Champion. Yet another drama for the scoreboard !

The Men Riders had to battle through 4 Heats, 2 LCQ’s and 3 Semi-Finals. Greatly impressing the judges were past Mandurah World Cup medalist Shota Tezuka JPN, defending and IWWF World Champion Harley Clifford AUS, newcomer Noah Flegel USA, and past Athlete of the Year Massi Piffaretti ITA. In his Semi-Final, Clifford scored almost perfect marks, just ahead of Tezuka. All changed in the Finals ! Korea’s Yun Sang Hyun now set the pace with a score of 80.89. Cory Teunissen AUS came next with an almost perfect 92.67. Massi Piffaretti ITA got close with 86.78. This just left the super-stars Shota Tezuka JPN and Harley Clifford AUS. Tezuka was the first major upset with 84.45 with two better performances already on the board. Only Harley Clifford AUS could now change the leader board. As ever, his performance was almost flawless. However, on a day of unending surprises, his score of 91.56 was not enough to take the Mandurah World Cup 2015 title from Cory Teunissen AUS

It was a World Cup of new champions. Mandurah will have certainly got the fans guessing about the season ahead. From weather Cyclones to unending surprises on the water, this was certainly a special World Cup to remember.

WATERSKI JUMP RESULTS

http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/classic/competitions/2015

WAKEBOARD RESULTS

http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/boatwake/competitions/2015

When Deputy Premier Minister Dr Kim Hames MLA wished all the contestants good luck at the Opening Ceremony in Mandurah, few could have guessed the outcome. Event Organiser Tim Thirsk of Action Sports Promotions is already planning a return to Western Australia in 2016.

END

With the 43rd Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup Stop scheduled for this weekend in the beautiful Indian Ocean City of Mandurah in Western Australia, approaching weather systems are causing some concerns. Only once in it’s successful history has the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) had to alter it’s World Cup programme. That was in Changshu China almost ten years ago ! The weekend Action Sports Games activities will also include FMX, BMX, Scooter and Skate.

With thunderstorms and rain forecasted for this coming Saturday and Sunday, one option being considered is to bring forward part of the World Cup schedule to Friday, March 13th. Temperatures are set to drop from 33C to 25C. An announcement is expected shortly. The Official Opening Ceremony is scheduled for 18.30hrs onsite on Friday. This will be attended by Hon Dr Kim Hames, MLA, Deputy Premier and Minister for Health and Tourism, the City of Mandurah Mayor Marina Vergone and many other dignatories.

Waterski and Wakeboard athletes from 21 countries will take part, including Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Thailand and USA. Following their gold medal successes in last weekend’s Moomba Masters in Melbourne, the entry will include Freddy Krueger USA, Jacinta Carroll AUS and Harley Clifford AUS. Krueger and Carroll took the Waterski Jump titles in Melbourne and Clifford the Wakeboard title. All will push hard to make it two major successes in a row, weather permitting. As it happens, all three will also defend their 2014 Mandurah World Cup titles this weekend. Raimi Merritt USA will also take part as the Mandurah Wakeboard 2014 defending champion.

Mastercraft have provided the competition boats and support services for all 42 World Cup Stops to date and will do so once again this weekend.

The provisional World Cup timetable still stands till further notice :

FRIDAY

07.00 – 14.30  Official Practice

SATURDAY

09.15 – 13.45  Semi-Finals Men & Women Jump

13.45 – 16.15  Quarter-Finals Men Wakeboard

16.15 – 17.45  LCQ Wakeboard Women

18.00 – 18.30  Show Ski WA Display

SUNDAY

08.30 – 10.30  LCQ Wakeboard Men

10.30 – 11.20  Final Women Jump

11.30 – 12.30  Final Men Jump

12.30 – 14.30  Semi-Finals Wakeboard Men

14.30 – 15.30  Finals Wakeboard Women

15.30 – 16.30  Finals Wakeboard Men

17.00 – 17.30  Award Presentations

#MandurahWorldCup

#ActionSportsGames

Live scores will be available throughout at : http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/classic/competitions/2014

Website : WaterskiandWakeboardWorldCup.com

Website : www.IWWFED.com

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/IWWFED?ref=hl

This is just a sample of the quality field of Waterski Jumpers  heading for Australia.

Many will first take on the challenge of the Moomba Masters in Melbourne

and then head straight for the first WORLD CUP STOP of 2015

in the beautiful City of Mandurah in Western Australia

#MandurahWorldCup

#ActionSportsGames

WATCH OUT FOR PHOTOS AND REPORTS RIGHT HERE

This is just a sample of the quality field of Wakeboard Stars heading right now for Australia.

Many will first take on the challenge of the Moomba Masters in Melbourne

and then head straight for the first WORLD CUP STOP of 2015

in the beautiful City of Mandurah in Western Australia

#MandurahWorldCup

#ActionSportsGames

WATCH OUT FOR PHOTOS AND REPORTS RIGHT HERE

The final line-up of IWWF Jumpers will be confirmed in the coming days and don’t forget to check in here for all the updates.

However, we do know who made it all the way to the WORLD CUP Podium last year at #MandurahWorldCup & #ActionSportsGames and it looks like all will return once again to defend their coveted titles. The beautiful City of Mandurah on the Indian Ocean shores of Western Australia is a stunning location. Many of our extreme athletes will be coming from colder climates and all our fans will be watching the performances very closely to see who is going to rise to the top this time around. Last year’s WORLD CUP Podium included World Record holder Freddy Krueger USA, Germany’s National Record Holder Bojan Schipner and Russia’s National Record Holder Igor Morozov. There may well be some upsets this year and with hot sunshine of at least 25C and hopefully a nice head breeze, it will not be easy to capture that gold medal during the Finals on March 15th.

 All the focus will be on Australia right from the start this year – and we are almost there !

Last year’s champions will put up an enormous fight to retain their titles – what a special event this is going to be !

Here is the big question – can WORLD CUP Wakeboard Champions Harley Clifford AUS, Cory Teunissen  AUS and Tony Iacconi AUS make it yet another Australian clean sweep this year ?

Incorporating the 43^rd WORLD CUP Stop of the series, Action Sports Games will bring our very best Skiers and Riders back to Western Australia’s magnificent Indian Ocean waters at Mandurah for the fourth time on March 14/15.

Watch out for all the updates – and don’t forget the hashtags 

#MandurahWorkdCup

#ActionSportsGames

All the latest details can now be enjoyed here :

www.IWWFED.com

The great news is that so many of our WORLD CUP Stars are right up that at the top of the latest World Rankings.

Many congratulations especially top those who have come out at the coveted NUMBER ONE spot :

JUMP

JACINTA CARROLL AUS

FREDDY KRUEGER USA

SLALOM

REGINA JAQUESS USA

CHRIS PARRISH USA

TRICKS

ERIKA LANG USA

ALIAKSEI ZHARNASEK BLR

Just a few days ago, the very popular World Cup Star Alex Lauretano USA, posted an update on her Website which came as quite a shock to all who have followed and admired her extraordinary career to date. From Junior level up, she has set an astounding number of National, Collegiate, Region, Junior and State Records. Alex has also starred in our WORLD CUP Stops in Malaysia, Australia, China, and Indonesia. Our photo shows her typical determination to win at the World Championships in Chile in 2013. Little did we know that she was battling with serious pain at that time. Here is her own Blog on what happened :

In January I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and it has put my life at a complete standstill. I don’t mean to sound melodramatic or negative but as an athlete, eleven months later that is still how I describe it. Rheumatoid arthritis is much different from regular (osteo) arthritis and is not caused by years of skiing, but by your immune system attacking your joints. And like all autoimmune diseases no one knows how or why you get it.

I first started having symptoms while training for the World Championships in November 2013, but thought it was just from overtraining. When I arrived in Chile for the Worlds I kept waking up with such excruciating pain I didn’t think I could ski. After a few hours it would get a little better and I was able to ski. That is a common trait of RA but after discussing with our team doctor we thought it was tendonitis.

In a matter of weeks I went from competing at the World Championships to having such debilitating pain that I could not put my clothes on. I should have posted this months ago, but each drug I take, and each naturopathic treatment I receive, I have hope that I will be competing soon. I still have that hope, but it is just a slow and agonizing process. Thank you to everyone who has given me their well wishes. Hope to be back out there soon! xoxo.

ALEX – WE WISH YOU A VERY SPEEDY RECOVERY AND HOPE TO HAVE YOU BACK WITH US IN OUR WORLD CUP SERIES VERY SOON.