WATERSKIING
Ebenezer’s Jake Tegart will be one of five Hawkesbury skiers to represent Australia at the 2015 World Championships in New Zealand next month.
The 23-year-old is the most senior member of the Hawkesbury quintet that includes International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation female racing skier of the year Ellen Jones, reigning junior boys and girls world champions Jack Harrison and Rachel Stapleton and Cameron Osborne.
The final Ski Racing Australia selection trial was held at Botany Bay on the Australia Day long weekend.
Tegart and his Merc Force teammates had entered the final rounds in first place, two points ahead of Peter Procter with fellow Hawkesbury skier Codie Rigg and Daniel Graziano also close behind.
Procter won both of the final races leaving the other three men level on points.
After abiding by a new world championship equivalency formula, the National Selection Committee selected Tegart and Graziano in the men’s team on a countback.
Tegart said he was thrilled to return to the world championships where he finished second in the Formula 2 category in Spain in 2013.
“For us it’s the pinnacle of racing,” he said.
“To make these teams is what I set out to do.
“I’d like to think I can win, I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think I could win.”
Tegart said the six months of qualifiers were the most gruelling races he had encountered.
“They were the hardest races by far,” he said.
“It’s grand prix racing and they pick some places where the conditions are quite tough, it gets really bumpy and it really comes down to how good the skier is.
“Australia has some of the best skiers in the world and this time round after going through it all last time I feel like I’ve got a good shot.”
Australia will look to back up from their extremely successful 2013 world championships campaign in Spain where they won every division.