Britons Kate Waldron and Mark Osmond made the podium at the Europe & Africa Boat Wakeboard Championships in Cologne, Germany, at the weekend.

Waldron (42), originally from Barnsley in South Yorkshire and now living in Ascot, Berkshire, won the silver medal in the Masters Women (aged 40 & Over) category. It was her first Europeans and came just two weeks after she finished 4th at the World Championships in Italy.

“What an unimaginable dream come true,” Waldron said.

“I thought I’d never wakeboard after having children, then to come second at the Euros!”

Waldron, who is the 2022 British National Champion in the Masters Women category, trains at LDB Wakeschool at Thorpe Park, Surrey, and at Tallington Lakes in Stamford, Lincolnshire.

Osmond (56), who is from Elstead in Surrey and was competing at his fifth Europeans, won bronze in Senior Men (aged 50 & Over). He was the oldest member of the 11-strong GB team competing at the Championships.

“I qualified fourth and, after discussion with skipper Mark Goldsmith, manager Jeremy Nevill and fellow team member Melissa Lock, we changed my plan for the final,” Osmond said.

“I managed to land a clean run and am coming home with a bronze medal. Thank you to all those supporting me on this wonderful journey.”

Osmond trains at Quays Wake & Ski in Frimley, Surrey.

The GB team finished fifth overall, matching their result at the recent World Championships. Italy took gold, France silver, hosts Germany bronze, with Ukraine in fourth.

Mark Goldsmith, Team GB captain said: "Thank you to the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation and the German Wakeboard Federation for putting on such an awesome event. It was an amazing honour to look after Team GB in my first competition as captain. The team performed extremely well in all categories with incredible performances from all athletes giving us a fifth place overall and individual medals for Kate Waldron and Mark Osmond."

Usually an annual event, the 2022 Europe & Africa Boat Wakeboard Championships were the first to be held since 2019 as a result of the Covid pandemic. They took place at Fühlinger See in Cologne as part of the Eat Play Love Festival.

Boat wakeboarding is where the riders are towed behind a boat on a rope and use the large wake created by the boat to perform spectacular tricks including inverts (flips), spins, and combinations of those. Riders are scored on their execution, intensity and composition. Style counts and if the rider grabs their board mid-trick that will help increase their scoring.

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.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Photos can be found in the dropbox link below. Please credit the photographers, as shown.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yfy1qkog8chtlcb/AACBn56ss86konpsqHSKCUMia?dl=0

Full results can be found at https://www.iwwfed-ea.org/boatwake/22EURO06

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

British Water Ski & Wakeboard is the sport’s national governing body and a non-profit making membership organisation. All its income is invested in developing and protecting water skiing and wakeboarding across the UK from the grassroots to our top athletes.

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