Team Chile won eight prizes at the Pan American Water Ski Championships, held between November 29 and this Saturday at Los Morros de San Bernardo Lagoon, the venue for this discipline at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
On the final day, the experienced Chilean Felipe Miranda received 2 gold medals: jump and overall. In the first test, he achieved a jump of 61.7 meters in the final, followed by his compatriot Emile Ritter, who reached 60.7. In the complete contest, "Pipe" scored 2,746.66 points to take first place, over the Argentine Tobias Giorgis.
“My goal is Santiago 2023, now I was able to get the gold medal in jump and overall and I was fighting in figures and slalom, but the most important is that I feel I can still compete in overall, which is what I am most passionate about”, said the 36-year-old skier.
PHOTO CAPTION: Felipe Miranda continues his successful road to Santiago 2023, his fifth consecutive event since Rio 2007. He seeks to increase his record as the Chilean with the most medals at the Pan American Games: seven. One gold, two silver and four bronze (photo: Cristian Leon/Top Comunicaciones).
YOUNG PEOPLE ALSO CELEBRATED IN SAN BERNARDO
The minor categories also brought satisfaction to Chile. Martin Labra celebrated in the under-17s in figures and overall, a promising prelude to the World Junior Water Ski Championships that will also be staged in Los Morros next January. Trinidad Espinal, in the same age range, highlighted in slalom.
In sub-14 Matías Gonzalez advances successfully. The winner at the last South American Games Asunción 2022 celebrated in figures and slalom and projects the future of this discipline in the country. The eighth and last recognition at the Pan American was in adult teams with the outstanding participation of Miranda, Ritter, Labra and Valentina Gonzalez.
PAN AMERICAN WATER SKI CHAMPIONS
INTERNATIONAL WATER SKI & WAKEBOARD FEDERATION (IWWF)
WOMEN'S OPEN
Slalom: Regina Jaquess (USA)
Figures: Neilly Ross (CAN)
Jump: Taryn Grant (CAN)
Overall: Paige Rini (CAN)
MEN’S OPEN
Slalom: Nate Smith ( USA)
Figures: Patricio Font (MEX)
Jump: Felipe Miranda (CHI)
Overall: Felipe Miranda (CHI)
U21 WOMEN
Slalom: Neilly Ross (CAN)
Figures: Neilly Ross (CAN)
Jump: Rebecca Ramsay (CAN)
Overall: Rebecca Ramsay (CAN)
U21 MEN
Slalom: Blaze Grubbs (USA)
Figures: Patricio Font (MEX)
Jump: Tobías Giorgis (ARG)
Overall: Tobías Giorgis (ARG)
PHOTO CAPTION: Matias Gonzalez, Samuel Browne, Agustina Martinez, Trinidad Espinal and Martin Labra are part of the new generation of national water skiing (photo: Cristian Leon/Top Comunicaciones.)
U17 WOMEN
Slalom: Trinidad Espinal (CHI)
Figures: Hannah Stopnicki (CAN)
Jump: Elizabeth Hall (USA)
Overall: Megan Pelkey (USA)
U17
Slalom: Charlie Ross (CAN)
Figures: Martin Labra (CHI)
Jump: Lucas Pinette (CAN)
Overall: Martin Labra (CHI)
U14 WOMEN
Slalom: Tia Byrne (USA)
Figures: Cameron Davis (USA)
Jump: Cameron Davis (USA)
Overall: Cameron Davis (USA)
U14 MALE
Slalom: Matias Gonzalez (CHI)
Figures: Matias Gonzalez (CHI)
Jump: Francisco Giorgis (ARG)
Overall: Francisco Giorgis (ARG)
TEAMS OVERALL
Overall: Canada
Open: Chile
U-21: Canada
U-17: Canada
U-14: USA
