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POLK CITY, Fla. – Three U.S. athletes earned medals in respective events at the 9th World

Games, July 26-29, in Cali, Colombia. Six athletes representing USA Water Ski participated in the multisport event that is held every four years and features sports not currently in the Olympics. Three-event water skiing and wakeboarding were featured as part of this year’s events. The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation selected the athletes, who competed solely for individual medals, based on world rankings and availability.

U.S. athletes competing in the event were: Andrew Adkison (Chipley, Fla.) , men’s wakeboarding; Regina Jaquess (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) , women’s slalom and jumping; Erika Lang (Gilbert, Ariz.) , women’s tricks; Nate Smith (McCordsville, Ind.) , men’s slalom; Adam Pickos (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) , men’s tricks; and Zack Worden (Deltona, Fla.) , men’s jumping. Jaquess won gold medals in women’s slalom and jumping; Adkison won the gold medal in men’s wakeboarding; and Lang earned the silver medal in women’s tricks.

Jaquess won the gold medal in women’s slalom, scoring 2 buoys at 38 feet off in the finals. Canada’s Whitney McClintock earned the silver medal with a score of 1 buoy at 38 feet off and France’s Claire-Lise Welter earned the bronze medal with a score of 5 buoys at 35 feet off.

Jaquess won the gold medal in women’s jumping with a distance of 162 feet/49.4 meters. Greece’s Marie Vympranietsova earned the silver medal with a distance of 161 feet/49.1 meters and Canada’s Whitney McClintock earned the bronze medal with a distance of 156 feet/47.4 meters.

Adkison won the gold medal in men’s wakeboarding, scoring 73.01 points in the finals. Japan’s Toshiki Yasui earned the silver medal with 68.45 points and Ireland’s David O’Caoimh earned the bronze medal with 57.90 points.

Lang earned the silver medal in women’s tricks, scoring 8,680 points in the finals. France’s Clementine Lucine earned the gold medal with 8,840 points and Australia’s Michale Briant earned the bronze meal with 8,280 points.

Pickos placed fifth in men’s tricks, scoring 8,640 points in the finals. Belarus’ Aliaksei Zharnasek won the gold medal with 11,520 points, Italy’s Nicholas Benatti earned the silver medal with 10,090 points, and Canada’s Jason McClintock earned the bronze medal with 9,760 points.

Worden placed fifth in men’s jumping with a distance of 187 feet/57.1 meters in the finals. Great Britain’s Damien Sharman won the gold medal with a distance of 193 feet/58.8 meters, Chile’s Rodrigo Miranda earned the silver medal with a distance of 191 feet/58.3 meters, and Russia’s Igor Morozov earned the bronze medal with a distance of 189 feet/57.5 meters.Smith placed sixth in men’s slalom, scoring 6 buoys at 32 feet off in the finals. Italy’s Thomas Degasperi won the gold medal, scoring 4-1/2 buoys at 38 feet off, New Zealand’s Aaron Larkin earned the silver medal with a score of 3 buoys at 38 feet off, and Sweden’s Johan Efverstrom earned the bronze medal, scoring 2-1/2 buoys at 38 feet off.

More than 3,000 athletes from 101 nations and 30-plus sports competed in this edition of the World Games. For complete results, visit www.theworldgames.org.

USA Water Ski was formed in 1939 as a non-profit organization promoting water skiing in the United States. USA Water Ski is affiliated with the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (world governing body) and is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and Pan-American Sports Organization as the national governing body of organized water skiing in the United States.