LOTTEY WILLSHIRE
Reigning world champion water-skier, Jacinta Carroll, has held onto her title for the third year running at the World Waterski Open Championship.
The Championships, held in Paris at the weekend, the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation event ran throughout 3-10 September and played host to the world’s most talented water sports athletes.
Competing in the women’s jump event, the Brisbane student and sportswoman landed a 55.1 metre jump, defending her world jump champion title.
Proud to hold onto her world champion status, 25 year old Ms Carroll admitted it was hard work to defend her title against such strong competition.
“A lot of hard work and dedication went into perfecting my jumps so I’m just so happy that it all paid off,” Ms Carroll said.
“I was hoping to defend my title, and with the current competition, I knew it would be a challenge, but I’m just so grateful for my family, coaches, sponsors, and supporters who helped me achieve this goal.”
USA’s Regina Jaquess received the silver medal for her 50.9 metre jump and Natallia Berdnikava from Belarus followed closely with a 50.7 metre result.
The highly acclaimed athlete has been competing on an international level for over six years.
In 2016, Ms Carroll became the first woman in the world to jump over 60 metres, landing a 60.3 metre jump at the Ski Fluid Invitational in Florida, USA.
Ms Carroll is currently completing her Masters in Physiotherapy at University of Queensland where she was named Sportswoman of the year 2017.
Looking forward to beginning a career in physiotherapy, Ms Carroll shows no signs of retiring from water-skiing.
“I don’t think I’ll be ready to retire until I know I can’t stay on top but I’m looking forward to working part time as a physiotherapist alongside my sporting career,” Ms Carroll said.
The athlete has announced she will again attempt to win the world champion title for a fourth year in 2018.