Joel Poland and Erika Lang were named the IWWF male & female waterskiers of 2023.

Lang, Poland Named Skiers of the Year | IWWF

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Erika Lang and Joel Poland named IWWF Waterskiers of the Year

Joel Poland and Erika Lang were named the IWWF male & female waterskiers of 2023.

IWWF


The IWWF is pleased to announce the 2023 IWWF Male & Female Skiers & Riders of the Year, selected by their respective disciplines’ councils.

Images: Camaro/Johnny Hayward

2023 IWWF Female Water Skier of the Year: Erika Lang (USA)

Erika Lang demonstrated remarkable consistency throughout the season, securing victories in every trick event she participated in, with just one exception. A fantastic athlete, she set a new world trick record, surpassing her previous record.

  • Female Tricks World Record Holder: Erika set the record during the 2023 season with an impressive 11,360 points on May 19th, 2023, at the Sunset Cup – MLCQ.
  • World Ranking: 1st Place
  • Waterski Pro Tour Leaderboard: 1st Place
  • Pan American Games: 1st Place
  • World Championships: 1st Place

Images: BWSW/Johnny Hayward

2023 IWWF Male Water Skier of the Year: Joel Poland (Great Britain)

Joel Poland showcased outstanding consistency, consistently finishing among the top 10 in all disciplines throughout the season, with only one exception. A fantastic overall athlete, he set two overall world records in 2023. Notably, he became the sole three-event skier to run 10.25 (41′ off) at 58kph (36mph).

  • World Overall Record Holder: Joel set two records during the 2023 season. The first record, with 2664.16 points (1.00@58/10.25 – 11680 points – 69.8m), was established on September 2nd at the WWS Florida Cup. The second record, with 2670.62 points (2.00@58/10.25 – 11680 points – 69.3m), was set on September 16th during the Malibu Open.
  • World Ranking: Slalom 4th Place, Tricks 5th Place, Jump 3rd Place, Overall 1st Place
  • Waterski Pro Tour Leaderboard: Slalom 13th Place, Tricks 1st Place, Jump 4th Place
  • World Championships: 2nd Place Overall

2023 IWWF Skiers & Riders of the Year

DisciplineFemaleMale
BarefootAshleigh Stebbeings (AUS)Keenan Derry (AUS)
Disabled SkiSamantha-Jane Longmore (AUS)Connor Poggetto (USA)
Cable SkiPhoenix Baumgardt (GER)Aviv Levy (ISR)
Cable WakeboardJulia Rick (GER)Oliver Orban (HUN)
RacingNellie McMillan (AUS)Carter Robertson (AUS)
Show SkiGrace Petzold (USA)Peter Hegarty (USA)
WaterskiErika Lang (USA)Joel Poland (GBR)

Please click here to learn more about them. Congratulations!

From this list of outstanding skiers & riders, the IWWF Executive Board then selected the 2023 IWWF Male & Female Athletes of the Year:

2023 IWWF Female Athlete of the Year: Ashleigh Stebbeings (Australia)

2023 IWWF Male Athlete of the Year: Joel Poland (Great Britain)