Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup Athletes Arrive in Perth

wiredlansNews

Some of the world’s biggest names in waterskiing and wakeboarding have arrived in Perth ahead of the   Action Sports Games, incorporating the first Australian International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) World Cup Stop.

From March 16 – 18 Mandurah’s Western Foreshore will be transformed into the 33rd stop of the IWWF World Cup series with an anticipated 100,000 spectators ready to descend on the shores of Manjar Bay to catch the action live and up close.

World number one wakeboarder Harley Clifford will be looking to take out his first World Cup Stop for the new season. The 18 year old who was elected 2011 Rider of the Year by the IWWF has dominated in the sport over the past year, having won World Cup Stops in Sarawak, Malaysia and Linyi, China during the 2011 season.

Fellow Aussie wakeboarder Amber Wing will be looking to challenge the USA’s Raimi Merritt for the coveted top position of women’s world number one Wakeboarder. Merritt was also elected as 2011 Rider of the Year by the IWWF and has recently found some tough competition in Wing, with both females consistently sharing the podium during the 2011 season.

Having broken the World Waterski Jump Record an impressive seven times, America’s nightmare on waterskis Freddy Krueger will be one competitor the crowd won’t want to miss. With 10 podium positions and 7 gold medals last season alone you can expect Krueger to put on his best performance.  The 36 year old is proving that his dominance in the sport is greater than ever.

Waterskiing pin up girl Natallia Berdnikova from Belarus, who is both the current World Champion for jump and shortboard, will be the female to beat. The 25 year old had an impressive season last year and was awarded the prestigious title of IWWF Athlete of the Year in 2011.

Over 60 athletes from 23 different nations will be competing over the weekend with the finals for both wakeboarding and waterskiing scheduled for the Sunday.

The IWWF has travelled through Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, China, South East Asia and now Australia.  Mandurah will be home to the IWWF World Cup for the next four years, making it not only the first time the event has ever been held in Australia, but also the first time the event has been held in the same place for four consecutive years.

The   Action Sport Games Mandurah is supported by the State Government through Eventscorp’s Regional Events Program, which is funded by Royalties for Regions.

The event will also include a BMX and Skateboarding competition as well as Freestyle Motocross demonstrations throughout the weekend.

Catch all the action from the Mandurah IWWF World Cup Stop Live at http://actionsportsgames.com.au or http://www.WaterskiandWakeboardWorldCup.com