Lacanau Cup 2023 Delivers Unforgettable Waterskiing Action
Lacanau Cup
Presented By Malibu Boats
Lacanau, France – July 3, 2023 – The first World Waterskiers Tour event, the Lacanau Cup, concluded over the weekend, from June 30 to July 2, with thrilling performances that left spectators in awe. With record-breaking feats, intense competition, and extraordinary displays of skill, the Lacanau Cup proved to be an unforgettable experience for both athletes and fans alike.
In the Women’s Slalom Event, anticipation ran high as top contenders Jaimee Bull (CAN) and Whitney McClintock (CAN) had been trading wins in recent events. Both athletes showcased their remarkable talent, culminating in an equally impressive top score of 1@10.25m in the prelims. The stage was set for a nail-biting final, and the crowd eagerly awaited the outcome.
Manon Costard (France) was the first to brave the waters, setting a high standard with an impressive 4@10.75m. Allie Nicholson matched Manon’s score, resulting in a tie. However, it was Whitney who reset the pace, flawlessly navigating the course at 10.75m. It was now up to Jaimee to surpass her competitors. With the crowd on the edge of their seats, Jaimee delivered an exceptional performance, reaching ball two and securing a final score of 1.5@10.25m, ultimately claiming victory at the Lacanau Cup.
The Men’s Slalom competition witnessed a fierce battle between eight talented skiers. Rob Hazelwood (England) and Thomas Degasperi (Italy) set the bar high with a commendable score of 3@10.25m each. Corey Vaughn (USA) and Will Asher (GBR) found themselves stuck at 3, unable to surpass their predecessors. However, Freddy Winter (England) raised the stakes with an impressive 5@10.25m, forcing the remaining skiers to push their limits. Dane Mechler (USA) and Brando Caruso (Italy) showcased their skills with scores of 4, but it was Nate Smith who rose to the challenge, completing the 10.25m line and securing back-to-back wins in Lacanau.
In the Women’s Overall Competition, five skiers competed in the finals. Anna Gay faced an unfortunate early exit with 3.5@12m, while Paige Rini (CAN) set the pace in the Slalom event with 2@10.75m, dominating in her strongest discipline. Aliaksandra Danisheuskaya (USA) and Kennedy Hansen engaged in a close battle, with Aliaksandra scoring 3.5@11.25m and Kennedy achieving 1@10.75m. Giannina Bonnemann (GER) displayed remarkable consistency, securing 3@11.25m. Paige, with an exceptional score, ultimately claimed the 1000-point benchmark in Slalom.
As the competition moved to the Tricks event, Anna Gay faced the challenge of outperforming her opponents but fell short of her usual pace, resulting in a score of 9620. Paige Rini fell near the end of her hand pass, affecting her scoring potential (7500). Aliaksandra’s performance was slightly below expectations, resulting in a score of 6890. Giannina, with her blazing speed, secured the thousand points benchmark with a score of 10,180.
The Jump event witnessed Giannina maintaining her dominance, while a tight race for second, third, and fourth place unfolded. Anna posted a jump of 37.2m, while Paige’s 46.9m leap took her to the top of the overall competition with 2598.41 points. Aliaksandra’s strong jump of 51.7m put her in second place with 2586.82 points, closely followed by Kennedy’s solid 43.3m jump, securing third position. Giannina displayed her expertise in her favorite event, posting an impressive 51.4m on her first jump and securing the overall victory with a total of 2891.35 points.
In the Men’s Overall Competition, four finalists battled for the coveted title. Tristan, the younger brother of Louis Duplan Fribourg (FRA), started the proceedings with a score of 3@11.25m. Edoardo Marenzi (ITA) impressed with 1.5@10.75m, followed by Louis with a score of 4@10.75m. Joel Poland (GBR) delivered the best run of the day, achieving 2.5@10.25m and claiming the 1000-point mark.
The competition intensified as Tristan showcased his trick prowess (8570), and Edoardo encountered difficulties, resulting in a lower score of 7480. Louis fell short of his previous year’s score, finishing with 10,840 points. However, Joel’s performance, slightly off his normal pace, secured him a total of 10,990 points, propelling him into the lead but leaving the door open for Louis to shine in the Jump event.
Tristan faced a disadvantage due to slower speed but managed a respectable jump of 52.5m. Edoardo raised the bar with a leap of 59.6m, but it was Louis who broke the French national record with an astounding jump of 68.1m. Joel needed a 64m jump to claim victory, a challenging feat. Despite slipping on his first attempt, Joel improved on his second but fell just short. The tension was palpable as the score came in at 64.2, securing Joel’s win by a mere 2.81 points, a margin less than a quarter buoy.
The Lacanau Cup 2023 showcased the highest level of skill, with each discipline fiercely contested right down to the last competitor. National records were shattered, leaving spectators amazed and exhilarated. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Lacanau Club, the dedicated judges, tireless volunteers, and generous sponsors whose contributions made this historic event possible. The growth of this tournament, both in terms of the competition and the attendance, is remarkable, and we eagerly anticipate what will unfold in 2024. Mark your calendars for next year’s event, as it promises to be another extraordinary spectacle.
WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST AGAIN
LACANAU CUP EVENT PAGE
Photos of the event can be found on Getty Images
For photos please contact: Johnny Hayword
About World Waterskiers Tour: The World Waterskiers Tour aims to showcase the world’s most talented waterskiers and provide them with a platform to compete at the highest level. With a series of events held in stunning locations worldwide, the tour brings together athletes, fans, and industry professionals to celebrate the sport of waterskiing.
2022 Malibu Open In The Books!
Lacanau Always delivers Insane Scores!
As the sun set on the pristine beaches of Lacanau last Sunday, the lakes of (Lacanau Ski Club) finally settled from the excitement of the Lacanau Overall Cup and the Malibu Open. Both of these professional events brought about incredible skiing and hard-fought victories, with the Malibu Open representing some of, if not the highest scores ever seen in a professional slalom event. In order to move on to the finals on the men’s side of the competition, skiers had to finish 
with a score of 3@10.25m or higher. Continuing on the high-scoring trend, the finals displayed a three-way tie for the lead between Dane Mechler, Jon Travers, and Brando 
Caruso at 4@10.25m with only one skier remaining on the dock, namely top-seeded skier Nate Smith. Nate, who has been in incredible form this entire year, turned the first 3 buoys expertly at 10.25m and did not hesitate to turn the 4th buoy, seemingly never considering the possibility of skiing for a tie, and comfortably swinging out around the 5th and 6th buoys to run through yet another 10.25m pass.
In the women’s slalom event of the Malibu Open, there was a tough three-way North American battle between Canadian Paige Rini and Brooke Baldwin and Ali Garcia from the United States. Sandra Bottas was the only skier from another
continent to qualify for the four women final. Despite skiing quite well, Sandra wasn’t able to overtake the other three, 
who had each finished with a score on the 10.75m in at least one round. With the requirement to start at 13m, leading to a tailwind 11m pass, both Ali and Sandra were unable to clear the rope length, finishing with a score of 3.5 and 2 buoys respectively. 
Next up, Brooke Baldwin, who had been increasing her scores at 10.75 each round of the competition, styled her way through the 11m tailwind pass and finished with 3@10.75m, the highest score of any woman in the event. Coming off the dock as the top seed, Paige Rini handle the pressure well and also made fine work of the 11m line length. Yet, the prospect of needing 3 buoys proved challenging, as Paige turned the 1st buoy too hard for her to be able to hold the angle through the wakes, leaving Paige short inside 2 ball and on the second step of the podium.
As the skiers move on to the next stop of the European circuit, the skiers look back on their time in Lacanau and reminisce on a truly unforgettable experience. The site, the people, the city, the beach, all in all, the memories will last a lifetime and we are already looking forward to next year. If you have not been to Lacanau this city and ski club need to be on your bucket list, they are truly one of the best on the planet. Lacanau is not just an incredible ski site, but with 
private villas available for rent, a pool, and an incredible restaurant right at the dock
with the friendliest staff you can imagine, it is truly a special place. If you want to get a moment outside of the resort the ocean is 10 minutes away with endless restaurant options right on the beach where you can watch some of the best sunsets imaginable. But as the sun sets on Lacanau, WWS is off to Calgary, Canada, for the second stop of the WWS Overall Tour. On July 29-31 the battle continues to see who will take out the Overall Tour Title.
See full WWS Lacanau Cup Overall Story
A Special thank you for all the long hours it takes to put on an event of this level. Hats off to Geraldine, Christophe, the Jamin family, the staff, judges, volunteers, and especially to the sponsors, which are special friends of the water ski community that wants to give back. So please check out the names at the bottom or on the Event Page and drop a personal thank you for their support, it is what builds a stronger foundation for our sport!
Thanks to Eudes M-Tivier for the great shots all weekend –
This club is the real deal, not just world-class coaching – a full pro shop, marine sale and repair, Villa Rental, and dockside Restaurant (Lèau à la bouche), and a world-class beach 10 mins away.
2020 MasterCraft Pro Recap
Last Friday and Saturday, some of the best skiing ever at a professional event was witnessed at Ski Fluid! On October 23rd and 24th the 2020 MasterCraft Pro presented by Action Water Sports took place behind the brand new 2021 Pro-Star…records were set, spectators were amazed and the event was a huge success.
Fifty of the world’s elite skiers competed over two days in Men’s Slalom, Women’s Slalom and Men’s Jump. The qualification rounds were hotly contested with a ton of personal best performances and 2 records…Manon Costard running 1.5@41 for a new European record and Felipe Miranda flying 233ft for his Chilean record.
After these 2 preliminary rounds the field was cut to the top 6 in each event to battle it out for the title on Saturday afternoon.
Men’s Slalom came down to a 3 way run-off for first, with Freddie Winter, Nate Smith and Thomas Degasperi all running 5@41! Nate Smith prevailed in the run-off completing 41off for the 3rd time over the competition and scoring 1@43. Freddie Winter was a close second, only just pulling up short of 6 ball at 41.
Regina Jaquess once again proved her dominance in Women’s Slalom taking the win ahead of relative new-comer Elizabeth Montavon in second and Manon Costard in 3rd.
The event culminated in the Men’s Jump final which saw some amazing distances. First off the dock, team Fluid skier Jack Crictchley, launched his best jump ever and joined the 230ft club with 231ft or 70.4m. The rest of the field pushed hard all flying between 224ft and 229ft but no one could surpass his mark until the final skier off the dock. Freddy Krueger added the 2020 MasterCraft Pro Jump title to his resume on his second jump with 232ft eclipsing Critchley by only 0.2m! MasterCraft team skier, Taylor Garcia, rounded out the podium with 229ft for 3rd.
This event was sent live all over the world thanks to the WaterSki Broadcasting Company. With innovative camera angles, slow motion replays, dockside interviews, a panel of guest expert commentators and real-time audience competitions…the production rivaled shows by major sports networks and really brought the event to life for those at home.
If you missed it, head to our Fluid Events page or our WorldWaterSkiers club page for links to the full results and archived webcast.
A big thanks to the title sponsors of MasterCraft Boat Company and Action Water Sports along with all of the officials, volunteers and supporting sponsors:
Zero Off, Ski Fluid, WakeHouse.com, Connelly Skis, D3 Skis, HO, Goode, The Boarding School, Denali Skis, Ilmor, Johnson Propeller, GiveGo, Follow Ski Vests/Ropes, Stokes Skis, Edge Bindings, Radar Skis, Coble’s Ski School, McClintock’s Ski School, WhisperFin, Lead Wake, FlowPoint Method, Babes Boat Care.
Looking forward to the 2021 MasterCraft Pro!!
