IWWFx800

U.S. Wakeboard Team Earns Silver Medal At 2013 IWWF Wakeboard World Championships

Four U.S. athletes earn individual medals in Busan, Korea

POLK CITY, Fla. – The U.S. Wakeboard Team earned the silver medal and four U.S. team members earned individual medals at the 10th IWWF Wakeboard World Championships, Aug. 28-Sept. 1, in Busan, Korea. The event included athletes and teams from 28 countries. Australia won the gold medal, while Korea earned the bronze medal.

Divisions for competition at the 2013 IWWF Wakeboard World Championships were as follows (all ages taken as of Jan. 1, 2013): Boys/Girls (14 and Under); Junior Men/Junior Women (18 and Under); Masters Men/Masters Women (30 Years and Over); Masters 2 Men (40 Years and Over); and Open Men/Open Women (Open).

Members of the 2013 U.S. Wakeboard Team were: Andrew Adkison (Chipley, Fla.), Open Men; Jeff Barton (Moorestown, N.J.), Veteran Men; Noah Flegel (Lighthouse Point, Fla.), Junior Men; Austin Hair (Tega Cay, S.C.), Open Men; James Loisel (Sanford, Fla.), Boys; Melissa Marquardt (Canyon Lake, Calif.), Open Women; Taylor McCullough (Centralia, Ill.), Girls; and Raimi Merritt (Lake Worth, Fla.), Open Women. The USA Wakeboard board of directors selected the team based upon an approved selection criteria. Nicola Butler (Maitland, Fla.), Open Women; Trevor Hansen (Groveland, Fla.), Open Men; Daniel Powers (Orlando, Fla.), Open Men; and Danny Thollander (Orlando, Fla.), Open Men, competed as U.S. independent riders.

Merritt won the gold medal in Open Women for the second consecutive time, scoring 67.00 points in the finals. Australia’s Amber Wing (57.45 points) earned the silver medal and Sweden’s Caroline Djupsjo (50.89 points) earned the bronze medal. Butler and Marquardt placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Flegel, who won the gold medal in the Boys’ division at the 2011 world championships, won the gold medal in Junior Men, scoring 80.56 points in the finals. Australia’s Cory Teunissen (57.67 points) earned the silver medal and the Netherlands’ Marc Kroon (55.78 points) earned the bronze medal.

Barton won the gold medal in Masters 2 Men, scoring 45.56 points in the finals. Russia’s Konstantin Khudnitskiy (37.67 points) earned the silver medal and Italy’s Mazzia Pierluigi (16.78 points) earned the bronze medal.

McCullough earned the bronze medal in Girls, scoring 39.45 points in the finals. Australia’s Chloe Mills (57.22 points) won the gold medal and Korea’s Heeyun Yun (40.33 points) earned the silver medal.

In Open Men, Australia’s Harley Clifford won the gold medal for the second consecutive time, scoring 89.44 points in the finals. Japan’s Shota Tezuka (77.33 points) earned the silver medal and Russia’s Nikita Martyanov (72.11 points) earned the bronze medal.

In Junior Women, Italy’s Giorgia Gregario won the gold medal, scoring 49.56 points in the finals. Mexico’s Larisa Morales (41.89 points earned the silver medal and China’s Zhen Kun Duan (33.45 points) earned the bronze medal.

In Boys, Korea’s Sanghyun Yun won the gold medal, scoring 77.22 points in the finals. Australia’s Lewis Watt (70.11 points) earned the silver medal and Korea’s Jeongwook Kim (55.67 points) earned the bronze medal. Loisel placed fourth, scoring 53.00 points.

In Masters Men, Switzerland’s Philip Hodler won the gold medal, scoring 49.56 points in the finals. France’s Daniel Duquesnoy (48.55 points) earned the silver medal and Argentina’s Buscema Renato (31.33 points) earned the bronze medal.

The United States has won world team titles in 2004, 2005 and 2011. Australia has won team titles in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2013. South Africa won the team title in 2001.

For complete results, visit http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/competition.php?cc=W- 13KOR001&page=TimeTable.

USA Wakeboard is one of nine sport discipline organizations affiliated with USA Water Ski, which 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 and wakeboarding in the United States.