BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Wimmera water skier Peter Smith has returned to Australia with a bronze medal around his neck after ‘a trip of a lifetime’ to compete at the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation, IWWF, World Over-35 Waterski Championships in Spain.

Smith modestly predicted he would be ‘going across just to make up the numbers’ after he was picked for the Australian team in April, but exceeded his expectations to finish third in the over-65 ski jump final.

“I came in hoping to make the jump final, which is the top eight,” he said.

“I qualified for the final in fifth place, and in the final I jumped a little bit better and ended up with the bronze medal, so I was really excited about that.

“This is my career highlight by a long shot. 

“I’ve been to a lot of Australian national championships, but this is the next level. It was a real bucket list thing to do for me.”

The Australian team also recorded its best ever result at the championships, finishing second behind the USA.

“We did really well. The USA was the top team, and Australia and France tussled it out for the second and third spots.

“We got in front of France by just 150 points, which isn’t much at all out of about 10,000 points.

“It’s the best an Australian team has ever done at the worlds, so it was really exciting to be part of it.”

Smith, 65, is a member of Dimboola Ski Club and Natimuk Lake Water Ski Club.

He thanked his wife Mary, who travelled to Spain with him, as well as the Wimmera water skiing community for their support.

“I’d like to thank the Dimboola Ski Club and the committee at Green Lake, because I’ve trained at both of those places. Without their facilities I certainly couldn’t do it,” he said.

“I go over to Bridgewater to train for the jump event that I came third in, and they’ve been really helpful and supportive of me as well.”

Smith will now turn his attention to the Australian water skiing season, with plans to compete at several events in Victoria and South Australia before the Australian championships at Port Macquarie next year.

The IWWF championships are a biennial event, with the next competition taking place in Canada in 2026, and Smith said he was keen to compete again if possible.

“I’d definitely like to go again, but it’s a long time between now and then and it’s a sport with a high risk of injury,” he said.

“We’ll see how we go, but if I’m fit and well and I get picked next time, I’d definitely like to go to Canada.”

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The entire September, 25, 2024 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!