GB’s Overall World Waterski Champion and world record holder has got his 2023 campaign off to a great start. He won the inaugural Swiss Pro Tricks competition, the first stop of the 2023 Waterski Pro Tour season, on Sunday 23rd April….

Joel did it in style with huge scores against the toughest of opposition. He beat tricks specialist, Pato Font of Mexico - who had equalled his own world record of 12,590 points in round one - and the current men’s tricks World Champion, Dorien Llewellyn of Canada.

Thirteen skiers battled it out over two preliminary rounds with the top six scorers going through to the final. Remarkably, the top three seeds going into the men’s final all did so with more than 12,000 points. Joel’s 12,100 from round one was just 60 points off his own British record but still only good enough for third seed.

 Joel at the Swiss Pro Tricks - photo John Waldron

In the final, Joel stood up two impressive runs, breaking the 12k points barrier again and taking the lead with 12,010. Falls by first Louis Duplan-Fribourg of France and then Pato Font secured Joel’s victory. Dorien Llewellyn was second with 11,230 and Martin Labra (Chile) was third with 10,780. 

Photo: Thomas Gustafson

Straight after his win, Joel said it “feels good” and declared himself a happy guy. “You always come to win, you never come aiming for a second place.”

Joel has now scored more than 12,000 points five times, each of them in a Pro competition.

“Pro tournaments are where I come alive. When there is that pressure, that is when I ski my best. I enjoy that pressure,” he said.

It’s Joel’s second professional victory in tricks (his first came at Botaski in Spain in June 2022) and his third in total (he won the jump event at the Masters in the USA in May 2022).

Joel was also voted Skier of the Day by the viewers of The Waterski Broadcasting Company webcast.

Photo: John Waldron

Joel has a big year ahead. In October he will be attempting to retain the overall world title he won in 2021. The 2023 IWWF World Waterski Championships will be held at Sunset Lakes in Florida – the same venue where Joel became the first British waterskier since Mike Hazelwood in 1977 to become Overall World Champion.

“I’m excited for what this year has got ahead,” Joel said.

In the women's competition, Erika Lang (USA) won with 11,030 points; Anna Gay (USA) was second with 10,530; Neilly Ross (Canada) was third with 9,950.

Full results of the Swiss Pro Tricks men’s and women’s competition can be found at https://iwwfed-ea.org/classic/23USA100/