AT YIHE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN LINYI CHINA

With Wakeboard athletes from sixteen countries competing at this last World Cup Stop of the year, combined with the YiHe Open Championships, the standard of both the men and women’s performances have never been higher. As the final results emerged, it was consistency and experience which eventually made the difference.

Overall, two significant pictures emerged from this event of the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) – the emergence of an extraordinary group of new young talent and the sheer quality of the top Riders performances, both male and female.

Throughout the qualifying rounds, a group of Riders aged just nineteen or younger made their mark. These included Alice Virag ITA, Giorgia Gregorio ITA, Hee-Hyun Yun KOR, Chloe Mills AUS, Taylor McCullough USA, Tony Iacconi AUS, Cory Teunissen AUS and Nic Rapa AUS. All of these young Riders were still in the hunt for medals as we reached the Semi Finals.

Defending World Cup Linyi champion Charlotte Bryant GBR was unlucky as a heavy fall spoiled her chances of progressing further despite her brave efforts. David O’Caoimh IRL also just missed a Finals place being narrowly outpointed by IWWF World Wakeboard Champion Massi Piffaretti ITA. Amber Wing AUS stunned all by her quick return to top form following the recent birth of her son with Dean Smith AUS, another very experienced Rider who impressed all week. Both made it to the Finals.

Following another wonderful Linyi display of Show Skiing and Aerial Acrobatics in the impressive Yi River Stadium, the Finals followed the pattern of the Preliminaries – new young talent versus the more experienced. In the Women’s event, with six Finalists, Tarah Benzel Mikacich USA, a very impressive newcomer to the World Cup Series, took the lead following the efforts of youngsters Chloe Mills AUS and Alice Virag ITA. Her solid  performances earlier were not enough to get Hee-Hyun Yun KOR to the Podium and so a medal of some color was now guaranteed for Tarah Benzel Mikacich. This left the challenge for the World Cup title to nineteen year-old Giorgia Gregorio ITA and the more experienced Amber Wing AUS. Gregorio  recently won the Europe Africa Wakeboard title. Wing won the Linyi World Cup title here in 2013. Coming second last off the dock, Amber Wing showed that time out for a pregnancy has only made her better. Her score of 61.67 was the highest of the day. Under enormous pressure for a young Rider, Giorgia Gregorio had to respond. In spite of a hard fall and an ankle injury, she somehow still got within two points of the leader to take second place. Amber Wing took Gold and Bronze went to Tarah Benzel Mikacich.

The six Men’s Finalists included three Australian Riders, Dean Smith, Tony Iacconi and Cory Teunissen. Tony Iacconi quickly took the lead from Dean Smith with an enormous score of 81.22. Italy’s Massi Piffaretti got very close to this with 80.22. This now left the door open for Mike Dowdy USA who was very impressive all week, Shota Tezuka JPN who was second here in Linyi a year ago and Cory Teunissen who won the 2015 Mandurah World Cup title. US Masters Wakeboard Champion Dowdy struggled however with the sometimes challenging water conditions. He knew he was out of the running as he handed over to Tezuka but the Japanese’s score of 79.89 was not enough to get ahead of leaders  Iacconi and Piffaretti. Now it was all down to Cory Teunissen. He had given a master-class all week on how to just nudge up each performance to keep on top. In the Finals, he kept it all to the end and to the ovation of the spectators and Riders, put in the performance of the Finals with a score of 89.78 to take the title. Tony Iacconi took second place ahead of Massi Piffaretti.

As confirmed by the Mayor of Linyi, Mrs Zang Shuping, the City is rapidly building a reputation as a major Sports City. The excellent Yi River facilities, the Linyi Yi River Stadium, the outstanding Opening and Closing Ceremonies and excellent general management of this World Cup / YiHe Open event, certainly confirm these ambitions. Supported by China Water Sports Administration, the Secretary General of the Chinese Water Ski Association, Mr Yao Xinpei, and his team, are also working on further ambitious developments of the sport in the years ahead.

END

Right now, the final preparations have been made in Linyi City in China and already Opening Ceremony details are being finalised for the action packed programme on Saturday, September 24th at 09.00hrs. This is always a spectacular affair including Drummers, colourful parades and of course the flags of the World Cup countries to be represented. At this time, most of the Riders and World Cup Officials are on their way to their various Airports and we wish all safe travels.

Over the coming days, we will upload photos and reports on our IWWF Facebook Page and feel free to LIKE and SHARE whenever you can. We need your help to spread the good news

This will be our 46th World Cup Stop and we are delighted to be returning to China once again, one of our strongest and most loyal supporters over the years.

Good luck to all our Riders and a BIG THANK YOU to all our friends in China for all their great support and especially to China Water Sports Administration and Chinese Water Ski Association..

THE FINAL 2016 BATTLE OF THE STARS – SEPTEMBER 23/25 – LINYI CHINA

Yes, the Entry List for the final World Cup Stop of 2016 is already a very special one. This may well decide who really is the top talent of the year.

IWWF World Wakeboard Champion Massi Piffaretti ITA certainly wants to show all why he won that World title. Cory Teunissen AUS took the World Cup title back in Mandurah, Western Australia , last year and this year he added the entire Nautique Wake Series title to his victories.  Again, he will want to finish 2016 on a high. David O’Caoimh IRL became the Europe Africa Champion for the second time last month and now he also has a chance to take on Massi and Cory in Linyi, China.

The Women Riders also have a fascinating challenge ahead. World Cup super-star Raimi Merritt and one of the most successful World Cup Riders ever, will have to face the young 19 year-old Giorgia Gregorio ITA who has now hit the big-time by taking the IWWF Europe Africa title just a few weeks ago. Watch out also for past World Cup winner Nicola Butler USA, Charlotte Bryant GBR and Amber Smith AUS – all very experienced at major events where nerves and focus really count. This will be a huge test for all these talented Riders.

Going back to Linyi, China,  again to this wonderful riverside arena is a great way to finish off 2016. Watch out also for details later of our World Cup TV Show which will be distributed globally. We will post details here alter.

Our World Cup Jump Stars really made a major impact at the 2016 Nautique Masters in Callaway Gardens, Georgia, this past weekend. With beautiful 27C sunny conditions, an ever changing light breeze forced the hosts to change the Jump Ramp direction to face north for the Finals and this proved to be a wise decision. In all cases, the Jumpers were pushed to the limit as the standard this year was absolutely awe-inspiring.

In the women’s event, nobody really got close to our Mandurah World Cup champ, Jacinta Carroll AUS. Her final cut to the Ramp was breathtaking on all attempts. Finishing off with 57.4m / 188ft, that put her a huge 8.6m / 28ft ahead of the great Regina Jaquess USA. What a performance ! Watch out for that 60.0m barrier to be broken soon by this extraordinary athlete.

The Men’s Jump event actually saw our World Cup Stars take all the Podium medals ! In a thrilling Finals challenge, Bojan Schipner GER had locked down 69.7m / 229ft but then the real drama began ! Hot favorite Ryan Dodd CAN nailed a distance of 70.9m / 233ft. The roar from the Pavilion spectators told all that this was the winner. So, with all eyes on the Nautique Masters floating scoreboard, World Record Holder Freddy Krueger USA left the dock with every man, woman and child on the edge of their seats ! His set up was perfect and even on the conservative side but somehow his first distance on the scoreboard flashed up at 233ft.

As he passed the scoreboard, he through his head back in total frustration as this had tied with Ryan Dodd’s 233ft ! What did he now have to do to get some more distance on that scoreboard. However, moments later, World Cup boat judge Nikki Lee signaled to Freddy that his 233ft actually converted to 71.1m against Ryan’s 70.9m. On that first jump, Freddy had won by the very slim margin of 0.2m !  A win is a win and the Masters Champion 2016 punched the sky on his return to the dock. What a perfect way to finish a spectacular 2016 Nautique Masters – and congratulations to all our World Cup stars on their extraordinary performances.

CLICK THE LINK

ALL NAUTIQUE MASTERS RESULTS

]]> http://waterskiandwakeboardworldcup.com/2016/06/world-cup-jumpers-dominate-nautique-masters/feed/ 0 http://waterskiandwakeboardworldcup.com/2015/10/shanghai-world-cup-cable-wakeboard-and-cable-jump-on-youtube/ http://waterskiandwakeboardworldcup.com/2015/10/shanghai-world-cup-cable-wakeboard-and-cable-jump-on-youtube/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2015 14:35:12 +0000 http://waterskiandwakeboardworldcup.com/?p=3331 ENJOY THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 45th WORLD CUP STOP IN SHANGHAI

CABLE WAKEBOARD & CABLE JUMP AT BIHAI JINSHA WATER PARK

‘Some good news ! Just today, our special TV edits of our final WORLD CUP STOP of 2015 were uploaded to our own YouTube Channel at www.IWWF.tv 

These clips will form part of our special WORLD CUP TV Show which will be distributed globally in the coming days by IMG – the world’s largest distributor and producer of sport and entertainment media. In spite of some weather challenges which varied from glorious hot sunshine to semi Typhoon conditions, the level of competition was as high as ever. This all added to the magic of the Shanghai experience. This 45th WORLD CUP STOP was certainly one to remember with so many outstanding performances from both our Cable Riders and Cable Jumpers.

You can access all the RESULTS here :

CABLE JUMP MEN & WOMEN

http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/cableski/15CHNC01/

CABLE WAKEBOARD WOMEN

http://www.cablewakeboard.net/press/LiveResults/1045/Results/Open%20-%20Ladies%20-%20Final%20-%20Wakeboard.html

CABLE WAKEBOARD MEN

http://www.cablewakeboard.net/press/LiveResults/1045/Results/Open%20-%20Men%20-%20Final%20-%20Wakeboard.html

Congratulations to all our Riders – and a special Thank You to the China Water Ski Association and to our hosts at BiHai JunSha Water Park for helping to make this final WORLD CUP STOP of the year a great success.

YOUR YouTube LINKS :
IWWF SHANGHAI 2015 CABLE STOP – INTRODUCTION
https://youtu.be/Cpq250FZt6I?list=PLhrSN8bTT1CArXHFnfZ4nocOtxmyWDPaw

IWWF SHANGHAI 2015 – PRO WOMEN WAKEBOARD FINAL
https://youtu.be/emW0MDnyGkc?list=PLhrSN8bTT1CArXHFnfZ4nocOtxmyWDPaw

IWWF SHANGHAI 2015 – PRO MEN CABLE WAKEBOARD FINAL
https://youtu.be/_a8bYVv5sr8?list=PLhrSN8bTT1CArXHFnfZ4nocOtxmyWDPaw

IWWF SHANGHAI 2015 – WOMEN’S CABLE JUMP FINALS
https://youtu.be/1rHhF5R0Bec

IWWF SHANGHAI 2015 – MEN’S CABLE JUMP FINALS
https://youtu.be/h9EWFyXIp4I?list=PLhrSN8bTT1CArXHFnfZ4nocOtxmyWDPaw

Good news from our World Cup Team.

Today, we are delighted to be able to tell you that our Linyi China World Cup TV edits have now been completed and were also uploaded on our own YouTube Channel. The TV Show will now be distributed globally.

For this 44th World Cup Stop in the City of Linyi, we have created no less than FOUR separate edits. You can enjoy them all here and feel free to pass the Links on to your friends at any time. They are also available on our World Cup Facebook Page at :

LINYI CHINA RETURN – INTRO
https://youtu.be/85QW3AoMrEc?list=PLhrSN8bTT1CBBL-7JC2No64YU9thkg4Z7

PRO WOMEN LINYI WORLD CUP FINAL
https://youtu.be/MVhX94WeGXg?list=PLhrSN8bTT1CBBL-7JC2No64YU9thkg4Z7

PRO MEN LINYI WORLD CUP FINAL
https://youtu.be/cd9TO1LAnUw?list=PLhrSN8bTT1CBBL-7JC2No64YU9thkg4Z7

LINYI WORLD CUP – OUR MASTERCRAFT DRIVER
https://youtu.be/O8QCyCNpo2o?list=PLhrSN8bTT1CBBL-7JC2No64YU9thkg4Z7

Many thanks for all your great and much valued World Cup support – and most of all to our Riders who created one of the greatest World Cup Wakeboard Finals of all time !

GERMANY POLAND AND RUSSIA TAKE SHANGHAI WORLD CUP GOLD MEDALS IN SEMI-TYPHOON CONDITIONS AT BI HAI JIN SHA WATER PARK DURING CHINA’S MASSIVE GOLDEN WEEK CELEBRATIONS

With athletes from forty countries taking part in this last World Cup Stop of 2015, the spectacular scale of just about everything in the area was truly breathtaking ! Hot sunshine followed by windy Typhoon conditions pushed the athletes to their absolute limit. This created a very exciting weekend for all.

Shanghai, the world’s largest city with a population of 24 million, hosted the 45th World Cup Stop of the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF). With 480 million Chinese residents leaving home for the seven day Golden Week holiday, several million thronged Shanghai’s famous Nanjing Road and The Bund Waterfront. Over 7.5 million travelled on Shanghai trains alone.

On completing the successful Linyi City World Cup Stop north of Shanghai one week ago, this week’s final competition of the season featured both Wakeboard and Jump at the impressive Bi Hai Jin Sha Water Park in Fengxian District. The Park is located within the unique Shanghai Haiwan tourist area with its pure recycled water and clean imported sandy beaches. Golf, Horse Riding, Sailing, Canoeing and watersports are also on offer. This World Cup Stop was a Cable event – using electric power cables in place of a boat for the Wakeboarders and Waterski Jumpers. Germany already has 80 such Cable Parks in operation, mostly featuring Rixen sysyems. The current worldwide boom in Cable Park construction is driven by their low cost / high return profile and environmental attraction. The International Olympic Committee has also shown interest in this low cost youth driven development.

In the Open Ladies Waterski Jump Prelims, it was clear that this would eventually be a battle between current World Record Holder Iryna Turets BLR, past World Champion Julia Meier-Gromyko BLR and Psychoanalyst Alexandra Gibinska RUS. Gibinska also holds the Russian Cable Jump Record of 47.7m. While the earlier round had perfect weather conditions, a howling gale and very choppy water greeted the Finals. Gibinska crashed on her first attempt but finished somehow with a magnificent 44.1m distance. Turets got close with 41.4m. Now it was all down to the most experienced of all, Meier-Gromyko. Her first attempt gave a distance of 39.4m. Having to beat 44.1, her second jump brought a gasp from the spectators as she went for broke. Unfortunately, a spectacular crash which ended with a broken helmet, minor neck strain and sore ribs prevented her from improving ! This was a day only for the very brave. Gibinska took the well deserved Shanghai World Cup gold medal, followed by Turets and Meier-Gromyko.

Having watched the Open Ladies cope so well with the severe weather conditions, the pressure now shifted to the Open Men to prove they could do likewise. Many did not. With five spectacular crashes and seven Jumpers opting to pass on various attempts, this created a thriller for the spectators and a nerve wracking Finals for the men. Early in this Final segment, Bavarian Marius Schimanski GER stunned all with a distance of 50.3m. It seemed almost impossible. Vladimir Ryanzin RUS, 15 time National Champion, shocked all as he crashed no less then three times but escaped with just a few bruises. At the end of the second jump segment, Europe Africa Champion Kamil Borysewicz POL again did the impossible by mastering the windy conditions with an extraordinary distance of 53.5m. With two competitors now exceeding that 50m limit, only Nikita Papakul BLR could get close with a distance of 48.1m. As Borysewicz, Schimanski and Papakul made their way to the beachside IWWF World Cup Podium, all were in awe of the high level of skill and bravery exhibited by both the Open Ladies and Open Men at this spectacular World Cup Stop.

In Wakeboard, very strong winds continued, favouring the top most experienced Riders. In Open Ladies, early shocks included losing past World Cup winner Cosima Giemza GER. In her first World Cup appearance, Melissa Colborne RSA impressed all falling just short of a Podium place. Two battles in the Finals produced some great riding. Sophia Reimers GER set the scene. Her great run included an S Bend to Blind, Inlake Back Mobe and Backside 3 off the Kicker. Past World Cup winner Maxine Sapulette NED responded with a similar run but included a Front Board 270 on the Fun Box to finish with a Scarecrow to score 75.0. The final battle was between superstar Julia Rick GER and Sanne Meijer NED. Rick was stunning. Her run included a 90210, Backside 313, very big Front Flip to Blind with a Tail Grab, Backside 270 and on to a 270 Out on the Funbox to finish with a backside 5 off the Kicker. Her score of 85.33 was well deserved. Meier tried very hard to catch up with a double S Bend but a sloppy landing disrupted her run and she had to settle for second place behind Julia Rick and ahead of Maxine Sapulette.

Open Men Wakeboard saw the strongest winds of all. Lior Sofer ISR and Im San KOR, both hot favourites, failed to make it to the Finals.Timo Kapl AUT looked strong earlier having practiced 317’s beforehand but it did not work for him when needed. Eventually, it was a battle between Israel’s Guy Firer, Christopher Klein GER and past World Cup Champion Dominik Guhrs. For pure consistency in any weather cobditions, Guhrs is a phenomenon. Firer’s score of 79.67 was not enough to get ahead of Kelin’s 82.00. However, even as he took to the water, Guhrs apeared not to even notice the howling gale ! His winning run included a 315, Inlake Backmobe 5, Heart Attack, Batwing to Blind, Skeezer and his best hit on the Funbox with a Toeside Backside 450 was enough to give him the World Cup Title – ahead of Christopher Klein and Guy Firer.

IWWF President Kuno Ritschard congratulated the Riders and Skiers for their great performances. As China has hosted over 20% of all World Cup Stops to date, he also thanked the Chinese Water Ski Association and Bi Hai Jin Sha Water Park for helping to make this 45th Stop of the World Cup Series a perfect conclusion to the season. Finishing during China’s Golden Week Celebrations at Shanghai’s Haiwan Tourist area was an added bonus.

CABLE WATERSKI JUMP RESULTS – MEN & LADIES

http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/cableski/15CHNC01/

CABLE WAKEBOARD RESULTS – MEN

http://www.cablewakeboard.net/press/LiveResults/1045/Results/Open%20-%20Men%20-%20Final%20-%20Wakeboard.html

CABLE WAKEBOARD RESULTS – LADIES

http://www.cablewakeboard.net/press/LiveResults/1045/Results/Open%20-%20Ladies%20-%20Final%20-%20Wakeboard.html

END

SPECTACULAR OPENING CEREMONY

LIOR SOFER ISR TAKES ATHLETES OATH

Recent stormy weather disappeared and hot sunshine arrived exactly on time for the enormous Shanghai World Cup Opening Ceremony today. The presentations included Fashion Shows, Music, Video Screens – and of course the introduction of athletes from FORTY countries which was another record for the World Cup Series.

Lior Sofer ISR and Steph Caller GBR  took the Oath on behalf of the Athletes and Officials and then led all back along the beach for the first day of competition. Day One, Friday, will see the first phase of the Cableski Jump event and Day Two, Saturday, will introduce the Cable Wakeboard Heats – with Sunday being Finals Day.

Our TV Show of the LINYI WORLD CUP Stop is now in the Editing Department and will be ready for broadcasting shortly. You will be able to enjoy the highlights of one of the best WAKEBOARD World Cup Stops ever ! In the meantime, we have uploaded a short NEWS EDIT on YouTube for you to enjoy and here is the Link :

YouTube NEWS EDIT – Linyi World Cup

Fans of the World Cup of the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) enjoyed some of the all-time greatest Wakeboard performances this weekend over the entire forty-four Stop Series to date. Adding sunshine and clear blue skies at the dramatic Yi River downtown location in Linyi City created a special experience rarely achieved at sports events.

With athletes from 17 countries taking part, MasterCraft shipped their XStar competition boats from Australia to complete the presentation at the purpose designed Linyi waterfront Stadium. Deputy Mayor Zhao Aihua also declared IWWF President Kuno Ritschard an Honorary Citizen in recognition of what the World Cup Series and the IWWF have done for this rapidly expanding City and it’s watersports ambitions over the past four years.

As ever, not all of the major international stars made it through the earlier Rounds at this World Cup Stop. Pro Men disappointments included Marcelo Giardi BRA, Sam Carne GBR, Daniel Powers USA and Shaun Faccio RSA. For the Pro Women, these included Han Qiu CHN, Alice Virag ITA and Carolina Rodriguez MEX.

With six riders in both the Pro Men and Pro Women Finals, Taylor McCullough USA set the scene for the women with an impressive opening score of 32.22. Coming third off the dock, UK National Champion Charlotte Bryant caught all by surprise. Just five years ago, she was the IWWF Europe Africa Junior Wakeboard Champion. Her score here of 41.67 immediately put her into a different league ! In fact, the remaing athletes all struggled to get close. World Wakeboard Champion and World Cup Champion Raimi Merritt USA and three-time Canadian National Wakeboard Champion Ashley Leugner CAN did best with scores of 40.78 and 40.00 to take silver and bronze. However, this was twenty-three year-old Charlotte Bryant’s first well deserved World Cup victory against some very tough competition.

As the first Pro Men athlete into the Linyi watersports arena, Ireland’s David O’Caoimh, the current Europe Africa Wakeboard Champion, made an enormous impact on the entire Men’s Finals. Following one fall, finishing with a Toe Back 9 brought roars of approval from the fans. His very high score of 84.56 then pushed all the following five riders to their absolute limit. Next out was Yun Sang Hyun KOR. He clocked up three consecutive Mobe 5’s but with a score of 82.11, that was just not enough to catch David O’Caoimh. Japan’s super star Shota Tezuka is a well seasoned IWWF World Cup challenger. He  has previously taken part in Stops in China, Palembang Indonesia and Mandurah Western Australia. In spite of one fall, his Back to Back 9’s helped him to take the lead with a score of 86.00.  Eighteen year-old Tony Iacconi AUS, the current Perth Aqua Games champion and silver medalist here last year, then got within one point of Tezuka with 85.11. So far, every rider exceeded 80 points which was exceptional. Unusually, IWWF World Champion and World Cup Champion Harley Clifford AUS was second last out. He so often dominates all rounds to be the final competitor. Having scored a world record “perfect 100” last May at the US Masters in Callaway Gardens, he responded as true champions do. With a run which included a Toe 9 and Nose Grab Back Mobe 5, his score of 88.78 gave him the lead with just Cory Teunissen AUS yet to come. Teunissen shocked all last March in taking the Mandurah World Cup title ahead of Harley Clifford. As 2015 Rookie of the Year, could he do it again ? Finishing with a Heelside 9 after a flawless performance, he got close with a score of 85.78 – and enough for the bronze medal place. The winner yet again was the outstanding athlete Harley Clifford and runner up Shota Tezuka.

Chief Judge and IWWF Asia Confederation President Paul Fong commented that with all six Finalists scoring more than 80 points, this made the 2015 Linyi World Cup Stop one of the highest scoring Wakeboard Finals of all time. In thanking Yao Xinpei, General Secretary of the Chinese Waterski Association and Zhao Aiming, Assoc Director General of the Bureau of Sport, IWWF President Kuno Ritschard also congratulated them and the officials of Linyi on their ambitious ongoing development of an outatanding watersports venue here on the Yi River.

The World Cup Series now moves to Shanghai next weekend for the Cable Wakeboard & Jump Stop on October 3/4

All Linyi results are available here :

http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/competition.php?cc=W-15CHN201&page=TimeTable

PRO WOMEN

1.Charlotte Bryant GBR, 2.Raimi Merritt USA, 3.Ashley Leugner CAN with Mr Yao Xinpei and Mr Zhoo Aiming

PRO MEN

1.Harley Clifford AUS, 2.Shota Tezuka JPN, 3.Cory Teunissen AUS