British waterski and wakeboard athletes have returned home with a stash of medals from European Championships.

The biggest haul came from the GB Barefoot Waterski squad at their Championships in Chartres, France, with five competitors collecting 13 individual medals between them and contributing to the Team silver.

At the Boat Wakeboard Europeans in Greece, Marley O’Toole (15), from Camberley in Surrey, was the sole British medallist.

Barefoot

In Open Men, Tom Heaps (27), from Warrington in Cheshire, won gold in slalom and gold in tricks. Rick Moyes (36), from Stockport, Greater Manchester, won silver in tricks and bronze in slalom.

Rick also competed in the Senior Men age category for the Over 35s where he won gold in tricks - setting a new European record for the category - and gold in slalom.

Both Tom and Rick train at Weaver Sailing and Ski Club in Frodsham, Cheshire, and are regulars on international podiums.

Robbie Crewe (36), from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, won bronze in both tricks and slalom in Senior Men, with personal best performances in both events. Robbie trains at White Cross Ski Club, Cawood, North Yorkshire.

In Junior Boys, Olly Moore (17), from Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire, won gold in tricks and silver in slalom. He did so with personal best performances in both. Olly’s home training base is White Cross Ski Club, Cawood, North Yorkshire.

In Junior Girls, Matilda Mulcahy (17), from Ashford in Kent, won silver in both tricks and slalom and took the overall silver. Matilda trains at Lydd Water Ski Club in Kent.

Boat Wakeboard

The Barefoot Euros took place at the same time as the Boat Wakeboard Euros were held in Servia Kozanis in Greece.

A small GB squad of eight riders competed, with the only medal coming from Marley O’Toole. The pupil at Gordon’s School in Woking, won silver in the Junior Men category. It’s his second European silver medal. In 2022, he won silver in the Boys’ category.

Next up for both the Barefoot and Boat Wakeboard squads are their respective World Championships. The Boat Wakeboard Worlds will be held in Rieti in Italy from 3 to 8 August. The Barefoot Worlds are taking place in Florida, USA, from 17 to 24 October.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

For more information, please contact Jane Peel, British Water Ski & Wakeboard Head of Communications on 07802 496927 or jane@bwsf.co.uk

Photos can be found in the dropbox link below. Please credit the photographers where shown. More images from the competitions may be available later. Please contact Jane if you require any more.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/vg0dv24c5u92y5d5k9now/AKhXn1pFu0qBl7VH6-ZO8a8?rlkey=e1ev5kkgofpssjjonz3jhqlfb&dl=0

Barefoot Waterskiing

As the name suggests, barefooters do not use skis but only their bare feet on the water. They are towed by a boat which generally travels faster than for other waterski disciplines, reaching speeds of up to 45mph (72kph).

Like regular – or classic - waterskiing, barefooters compete in the three events of slalom (crossing the boat’s wakes from one side to the other repeatedly), tricks and jump. In jump, all that matters is the distance achieved off the ramp and a successful landing. Medals are awarded in each individual event. There are also overall medals - which combine the competitor’s scores in the three events – and Team medals.

Boat Wakeboarding

It is like a combination of snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing. The rider performs tricks over two runs while being towed by a boat. Judges watching from the boat determine the score, which is based on several criteria including the execution, intensity and composition of the tricks successfully performed. The highest score wins. The other type of wakeboarding is cable wakeboarding where riders use a cable tow and perform tricks over obstacles or features at a specially designed wake park.

British Water Ski & Wakeboard (BWSW) is the sport’s national governing body and a non-profit making membership organisation. All its income is invested in developing and protecting waterskiing and wakeboarding across the UK from the grassroots to our top athletes. 2026 is our 75th anniversary.

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