Salmsee Waterski Club | Linz, Austria | August 8–9
The third stop of the 2026 World Water Skiers Overall Tour brought the world’s best Overall athletes back to the Salmsee Waterski Club in Linz, Austria, for the WWS Austria Cup presented by Malibu Boats.
A massive heat wave across Europe had dropped the lake nearly two meters below its normal level, but the result was spectacular skiing conditions. Calm water and beautiful weather set the stage for two days of competition—and some of the closest Overall battles of the season.
With an extremely busy international calendar, several athletes elected not to make the overseas trip to Austria. But for those chasing the WWS year-end podium, Austria carried added importance.
Under the Tour rules, athletes pursuing the year-end bonus must compete in the first three stops unless unable to compete for a recognized reason. That made the Austria Cup about more than one weekend. It represented a commitment to the entire Tour and to something WWS has worked hard to bring back to Overall skiing: a legitimate season-long championship and year-end bonus structure that rewards the athletes who commit to the Tour.
And once the finals got underway, that commitment produced some incredible competition.
WOMEN’S SLALOM — THE PRESSURE STARTS EARLY
Brooke Boskus of the USA led off the women’s final, putting 0.5 @ 12 meters on the board.
Giannina Bonnemann of Germany knew exactly what was ahead of her. Slalom is Kennedy Hansen’s strongest event, and Giannina needed to get deep into 11 m to keep the pressure on.
She attacked the pass, digging hard around one ball at 11 m, but the load pulled her outside the course and she couldn’t recover to reach two.
That opened the door for Hansen.
Kennedy continued the slalom consistency that has become one of her biggest weapons, running deep into the short line and finishing with 1 @ 10.75 m.
First advantage: Kennedy.
But Giannina was about to answer.
WOMEN’S TRICKS — GIANNINA FIRES BACK
Brooke attacked her trick runs aggressively, pushing the clock to squeeze in additional tricks. The gamble didn’t pay off, as she went down and finished with 3,490 points.
Giannina knew she had to recover the points she had surrendered in slalom.
And she delivered.
She stood up both passes and put 10,320 points on the board—a huge response that brought her right back into the fight.
Kennedy now knew she needed a big trick score of her own to protect her Overall advantage going into jump.
She answered with 9,630 points.
Two events down.
One to go.
And the Austria Cup would come down to jump.
WOMEN’S JUMP — 10 POINTS
Brooke opened with 36.6 m, a controlled performance but without the speed she normally carries into the ramp.
Then came Giannina.
She knew the equation. A jump in the 52- to 53-m range could potentially put the Overall score beyond Kennedy’s reach.
Giannina attacked and posted 50.1 m.
A respectable jump—but she knew immediately that she had left the door open.
Now all the pressure shifted to Kennedy.
Jump is the weakest of Kennedy’s three events, and with an Austria Cup victory hanging in the balance, she needed 48.5 m.
There was almost no room for error.
Kennedy hit the ramp and landed at 48.6 meters.
Ten centimeters more than she needed.
Her combined Overall score climbed to 2,887.82, edging Giannina’s 2,877.55.
Just over 10 Overall points separated them.
For Kennedy, complete joy.
For Giannina, heartbreak.
It was an enormous moment in the women’s Tour title race. Giannina needed the Austria victory to dramatically turn the championship story around, and she had come incredibly close.
Instead, Kennedy had survived the pressure and taken another huge step toward the year-end crown.
MEN’S SLALOM — FIVE ATHLETES, NO ROOM FOR MISTAKES
Hometown favorite Alexander Gschiel gave the Austrian crowd something to cheer about immediately, posting an impressive 2 @ 10.75 meters.
Martin Kolman of the Czech Republic followed. Normally one of the strongest slalom skiers in the field, Martin struggled on this day and was unable to complete the 11.25 m pass.
Edoardo Marenzi of Italy then delivered a strong 4 @ 10.75 m, moving into the lead.
Dorien Llewellyn came to the dock looking to run 10.75 and take control. He attacked two ball hard, but pushed it just a little too far, blowing the fin out and going down with 1.5 @ 10.75 m.
Then came Joel Poland.
The Tour leader once again showed why he is so difficult to beat. Joel rounded two ball at 10.25m, immediately building a substantial advantage in the Overall competition.
And he wasn’t finished.
MEN’S TRICKS — JOEL TURNS UP THE PRESSURE
Alexander backed up his slalom performance by standing both trick passes for 9,610 points.
Martin answered with 9,930, recovering some of the ground he had lost in slalom.
Edo continued his consistency with 9,970 points.
Dorien was next.
Still rebuilding following his ankle injury and without the water time he would normally carry into this point of the season, Dorien put together two solid passes. He posted 10,910 points, the highest trick score of the tournament to that point.
Then Joel hit the water.
After falling in tricks during the preliminary round, Poland found his groove when it mattered.
11,680 points.
He took the top trick score and stretched his lead in the Overall competition.
With only jump remaining, everyone else was chasing.
MEN’S JUMP — NOTHING GIVEN
Alexander opened the men's jump battle with 58.9 metres.
Martin knew he needed roughly 60.5 metres to move ahead of Alexander in the Overall standings.
Kolman has never been afraid to attack, and sometimes that willingness to push the limit is both his greatest strength and his biggest challenge.
He went after it.
60.3 metres.
Just short.
Once again, an Overall battle came down to approximately 10 points, leaving Alexander narrowly ahead.
Then Edo changed the tone.
After jumping a solid 62 m in the preliminary round, Marenzi came into the final and unleashed a huge 65.0-m jump.
Now Dorien had a number to chase.
The adrenaline was there, but after limited water time this season, he couldn't find the speed he needed off the ramp. Dorien finished at 59.3 m, well below what he expected from himself and opening the door for Edo in their season-long podium fight.
One skier remained.
Joel Poland.
With a commanding Overall lead, Joel didn't need anything extraordinary. An average jump by his standards would be enough to win the Austria Cup.
Sometimes taking the pressure away from a great athlete makes them even more dangerous.
Joel launched 66.5 m—the biggest jump of the weekend.
Message delivered.
Not today.
Poland had completed another dominant Overall performance and captured the WWS Austria Cup.
More importantly, the victory mathematically secured Joel Poland the 2026 WWS Overall Tour Championship heading into the final stop.
But the season is far from finished.
ONE STOP REMAINS
The WWS Overall Tour now heads to Ski Fluid in Central Florida, September 5–6, for the fourth and final stop—the WWS Florida Cup presented by Dream Makers.
Joel Poland may have secured the men's Tour title, but there is still plenty on the line: a Florida Cup victory and prize money, year-end podium positions, and the Tour's $14,000 year-end bonus.
Only 10 points separate Edo Marenzi and Dorien Llewellyn heading into the final stop. Edo is chasing his best Tour season yet, while Dorien and Martin Kolman continue to gain momentum in their return from injury.
On the women's side, Giannina Bonnemann continues to get stronger following her return to competition after the birth of her son, Luca. Austria proved just how close the battle has become, with only 10 points separating her from Kennedy Hansen.
And don't expect Joel to back off. Every stop has its own champion—and winning the Florida Cup still carries plenty of prize money and bragging rights.
There may be no better place to finish the season than Ski Fluid, where more world records have been set than at any other site in the world. Both Joel Poland and Dorien Llewellyn have broken the Overall World Record on these waters, and with a full roster returning for the Tour Final, another record could be waiting.
The championship picture may be taking shape, but there is still one more trophy to win and one more opportunity to make history.
The WWS Florida Cup presented by Dream Makers takes place September 5–6 at Ski Fluid in Central Florida.
For schedules, athlete information, live scoring and event details, visit the WWS Tour page and select the Florida Cup event page.
One final stop. Three events. Everything left on the water.
