Great Britain’s David Small is back at the top, becoming a barefoot waterskiing World Champion for the 20th time, eight years after he last competed at the highest level.

Small (42), from Birmingham, competed in the Open Men division at the World Championships in which he triumphed in the Jump event, launching himself 25.2 metres off the ramp to take the gold. He also won the bronze medal in slalom and silver overall.

Small dominated the sport worldwide for two decades, winning his first world title in 2002. He holds the current world records in barefoot jumping (29.9 metres, set in 2010) and tricks (13,350 points, set in 2018).

He was introduced to barefoot waterskiing at the age of 13 at Chasewater in the West Midlands and started to specialise in the discipline when he was 17. He is currently a realtor in Florida, where he has lived since 2007.

As well as Small’s three individual medals, there were two more podiums for Great Britain in the team competition. Both the Open Team and the Junior Team won bronze after some impressive results from squad members.

The Open Team:

David Small (see above)

Tom Heaps, from Warrington in Cheshire. He has 13 European titles and is a silver and bronze medallist at World Championships. He is a former World Junior Champion in barefoot jumping. Heaps, an electrician and property developer, trains at Weaver Sailing and Ski Club at Frodsham in Cheshire.

Rick Moyes, 36, from Stockport, Greater Manchester. Moyes is an eight-times European medallist. He is the owner of a construction company, M Build BC Ltd, and trains at Weaver Sailing and Ski Club at Frodsham in Cheshire.

Adam Chalk, 33, from Dartford, Kent. Chalk was the 2024 European Champion in slalom and is a two-time European silver medallist. He works as a GP and trains at Lydd Water Ski Club in Kent.

Robbie Crewe, 36, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Crewe won two bronze medals in the Senior Men (Over 35s) category at this year’s European Championships. Crewe is the owner of RVC Electrical Ltd and trains at White Cross Ski Club in Cawood, North Yorkshire.

The Junior Team:

Olly Moore, 17, from Howden, East Riding of Yorkshire. Moore, a student at Goole Academy, is the reigning European Junior Boys Champion in tricks and the silver medallist in slalom. He’s been in the GB Team since 2023 and his home training site is White Cross Ski Club in Cawood, North Yorkshire.

Matilda Mulcahy, 17, from Ashford, Kent. Mulcahy is a student at Highworth Grammar School in Ashford. She won three silver medals – in tricks, slalom and overall - in the Junior Girls category at the 2026 European Championships. Mulcahy has been in the GB team since 2023 and trains at Lydd Water Ski Club in Kent.

The 2026 IWWF Open, Under-23 & Junior World Barefoot Water Ski Championships took place at Lake Myrtle, Auburndale, Florida, USA, from 17-24 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.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/766rikwedge34qzztro3q/AP59TeDJehmm5KuSHP7NVNg?rlkey=cbnuu8x43tg75cyt9hnht2fuy&dl=0

The full results can be found here: https://iwwfed-ea.net/competition.php?cc=B-26IWWF04&page=26IWWF04

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.

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 water skiing and wakeboarding across the UK from the grassroots to our top athletes. 2026 is our 75th anniversary.

The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) is the sport’s world governing body to which national organisations such as BWSW are affiliated.

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