The 2nd day of 2018 IWWF World Junior Waterski Championships got underway today at Sesena Waterski & Wakeboard Complex in spectacular fashion with the big boys in slalom series 1 taking to the water.  Thirteen skiers posted scores at the 11 metre line length and four skiing into 10.75 metres.   Federico Jaramillo (COL),  Nicolas Rousselot (FRA) and Nicholas Stegmann (RSA) tied for first place with scores of 2 @10.75 metres.  Tim Tornquist (SWE)  was the other 10.75 skier with one buoy on the scoreboard, advancing to Sunday’s boys slalom final which will have 12 talented skiers competing for an IWWF World Junior Boys slalom title.

IWWF World Junior Boys Trick Record Holder, Patricio Font (Mexico)
photo by Thomas Gustafson

Despite a fall at the end of her first pass in the girls trick series 1 preliminary round, current IWWF World Open Women’s Trick Champion and Female Athlete of the Year, Neilly Ross (CAN), showed class and compusure to post the best score of day, 8290 ponts. Kennedy Hansen (USA) placed 2nd with 7490 and Tayla Simmonds 6190 points to advance to the girls trick final with 9 other skiers.

In final event of the day, the boys trick series 1 preliminary round, the stage was set for  defending IWWF World Junior Trick Champion Patricio Font (MEX) to light up the event, setting a new IWWF World Junior Trick Record with a score of 10,790 points behind the 2019 Ski Nautique, IWWF’s Official World Waterski Championships Towboat. Font’s score was a whopping 2,500 points more than the next best skier, Felipe Franco Belmont (FRA) who scored 8,220.   12 skiers from the preliminary round will advance to Saturday’s boys trick finaland with a new IWWF World Record in the bag, Patricio Font will be looking to complete the task at hand and reclaim his IWWF World Junior Boys Trick title.

The top 127 junior skiers from 26 countries will arrive in Toledo, Spain this week for the 2018 IWWF World Junior Waterski Championships to be held at the Sesena Waterski & Wakeboard Complex.

The new 2019 Ski Nautique will make its debut for the first time at an IWWF World Titled waterski event and the stage will be set for skiers to perform at their best.

Current IWWF World Open Women’s Trick Champion and IWWF Female Athlete of the Year, Neilly Ross (CAN), is expected to defend her IWWF World Junior trick title again. Kennedy Hansen (USA), Malaysia’s Aaliyah Yoong, who placed 3^rd at the 2018 US Masters, and Stanislava Prosvetova (UKR) are also in contention for a place on the podium.

Neilly Ross (CAN) – photo by Des Burke Kennedy

Reigning IWWF World Junior Trick Champion Patricio Font (MEX), with a personal best of over 11,000 points, will be a strong favourite again to win the gold medal.  He will have the likes of Felipe Franco Belmont (PER), Federico Jaramillo (COL) and Alexander Samoilov (UKR) biting at his heels.

Luisa Jaramillo (COL), Kristen Baldwin (USA), Alexandra Garcia (USA), Kennedy Hansen (USA), Valeryia Trubskaya (BLR),  Neilly Ross (CAN) and Molly Ferguson (AUS) are expected to battle it out on the 11 metre line in the girls slalom event.

Boys slalom will see the likes of Griffin Stange (USA), Federico Jaramillo (COL), Pavlos Nathanail (GRE), Tim Tornquist (SWE) and Thomas Witczak (FRA), all likely to be slugging it out on the 10.75 metre line length for the gold medal and a place on the podium.

In girls jump, Sofia Maksimenkova (UKR), Sade Ferguson (AUS), Stanislava Prosvetova (UKR) and Tianna Kosek (USA) are capable of jumping over 40 metres and in contention for a podium finish.

William Roberts (USA), Alexander Samoilov (UKR), Blake Keller (USA), Will Gibson (NZL), Tobias Giorgis (ARG) and Pol Duplan-Fribourg (FRA) will be looking to jump way beyond the 50 metre mark for a place on the podium, better yet for a gold medal in boys jump.

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Visit the WWS Tournament page for more information – https://worldwaterskiers.com/tournament/18iwwf01/