WORLD CUP SERIES WAKEBOARDERS AND SKIERS FROM 25 COUNTRIES TO BATTLE FOR PRESTIGIOUS STOP TITLES IN PALEMBANG INDONESIA

Guardar

Palembang Indonesia, located just below the Equator in exotic South Sumatra, is well prepared for this 37th Stop of the Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup Series of the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF). This will take place next weekend on May 3rd/5th. Having hosted a highly successful World Cup Stop for the first time at the famous Jakabaring Sports City Complex only last November, this return visit to Palembang promises to attract huge crowds of spectators once again. It will also be Webcast live on www.IWWF.tv

With Wakeboard now on the shortlist for possible addition to the 2020 Olympic Games, interest has never been higher within the large global Boardsports community and their fans. World Cup athletes who have qualified for this Stop will fly the flags of twenty five countries including Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, South Africa, Thailand, and USA.

The big question this time is, will some of the youngest World Cup qualifiers steal the headlines from the established super-stars this time around? There are several good reasons to ask.

Resulting from many outstanding World Cup performances at Mandurah in Western Australia in March, a few current World Cup leaders have already created real surprises by taking the lead at this stage as they outperformed some current World Champions and World Record Holders. We are therefore guaranteed a World Cup thriller on May 3rd/5th.

Let's look at the possibilities. In Women’s Shortboard, the 17 year-old sensation, Erika Lang USA, actually outscored the current World Record Holder, Clementine Lucine FRA, to lead the Series at this stage. If fact, her personal best score is not that far off a World Record. Can the youngster repeat her Mandurah success in Palembang ? Watch out also for Malaysia’s sensation Aaliyah Yoong. At an extraordinary nine years of age, she is by far the youngest ever to have competed at this level in the World Cup Series. Already she is the youngest Gold Medalist of all time in the Southeast Asian Games. Having a brother Alex who competed as a Formula 1 Grand Prix driver some years ago, nobody doubts her drive for success ! Who knows what she may achieve when she takes on the World Cup leaders on this occasion ? The experience will be invaluable for this rising star.

In Jump, at the last World Cup Stop in Mandurah, young newcomer Jacinta Carroll AUS, the U21 World Champion in 2010, although just 20 years of age, took the gold medal to share the spotlight with the Men’s Jump super-star, Freddy Krueger USA who continues his incredible run of success on the Ramp. Both Krueger and Carroll will fight hard to retain their World Cup lead at this stage.

In Men’s Shortboard, the more experienced athletes are expected to reach the Podium. Jimmy Siemers USA, a past World Champion, took all by surprise when he captured the Mandurah World Cup title in style in March to defeat the current World Champion and World Record Holder, Aliaksei Zharnasek BLR.

In Wakeboard, the young talents are also the ones to watch. While the 19 year-old reigning Men’s World Cup Champion and super-star Harley Clifford AUS had a close call in Mandurah with 20 year-old Shota Tezuka JPN snapping at his heels, he remains the favorite on current form. The Women’s event delivered another real surprise at the last Stop. Australia’s Bec Gange stunned all by outperforming the reigning 2012 World Cup Champion Raimi Merritt USA. This will again guarantee a thrilling battle in the Women’s Wakeboard event.

Overall, it looks like this could be the World Cup Stop where experience might just struggle to conquer youth on this occasion. We will know the outcome for certain as the sun sinks over the horizon on the beautiful City of Palembang in South Sumatra, Indonesia, next weekend.

Governor H. Alex Noerdin of South Sumatra and H. Muddai Madang, Chairman KONI Sumsel, can feel justly proud of the excellent facility at the Jakabaring Sports City Complex, constructed especially for the Southeast Asian Games in 2011. Recognised now as a high quality Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup venue, Indonesian athletes will certainly benefit in major competitions in the years ahead from having such a wonderful arena for training and development.

MasterCraft will again provide the competition boats and support services as they have done since the inauguration of the World Cup Series in 2004.

For more information contact: iwwfmedia@sportcal.com

Asa service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim textsof selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations,federations, businesses and sponsors.

These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.

20 Years at #1:

Guardar

Últimas Noticias

Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons

Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons

Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024

She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024

Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris

Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris

Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years

The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years

Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”

The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”