The cream of British waterski talent is heading to Italy for the world’s biggest and most highly anticipated competition of the year, the IWWF World Championships, taking place from 26 to 31 August.

The squad is made up of nine men and three women and includes a reigning World Champion and two past World Champions, one of whom is the current and seven-times overall world record holder.

Three skiers will be making their debut representing GB at an Open World Championships: Amber Butterfield, Tom Parkin and Emily Newsome.

Amber Butterfield. Photo James Elliott

The 12 British athletes are among 200 skiers from 32 countries who will be in Recetto, near Milan, for the six-day competition.
Individual champions will be crowned in slalom, tricks, jump and overall. Medals will also be awarded for the top three teams.

GB Prospects for medals include:

Joel Poland - Widely considered to be the best overall waterskier in the world, capable of winning in slalom, tricks and jump. Joel has broken the overall world record seven times and is the current holder. He was the Overall World Champion in 2021 and silver medallist in 2023 and will be looking to reclaim the title. He is currently ranked number one in the world in both jump and overall.

Freddie Winter - A two-time Men’s Slalom World Champion (2017, 2023) and the defending champion in the event. Freddie has had a phenomenal comeback this season from a career-threatening leg injury last summer, sustained when he crashed at high-speed into a concrete dock during a competition in France. His success in 2025 includes winning the prestigious US Masters for the third time in May.

Will Asher - Also a two-time Men’s Slalom World Champion (2005, 2009). Will has won an impressive eight World Championships medals in his long career, the most recent of which was bronze in 2021. He is one of the oldest slalom skiers still competing – and still winning medals – at elite level.

Rob Hazelwood – Rob is Will Asher’s cousin and, like Will, is the nephew of the legendary Mike Hazelwood, whose many achievements include winning the overall world title in 1977. Rob has been victorious and made the podium in pro competitions in the last few years since opting to specialise in slalom. He is, however, a talented 3-event skier and will compete in slalom, tricks and jump at the World Championships.

Jack Critchley – One of the world’s best waterski jumpers and one of only a handful to have jumped more than 70 metres. He has won several professional competitions but has yet to win an individual medal at the World Championships. He was fourth in 2021 and fifth in 2023.

Arron Davies - He has finished just off the podium in a handful of professional slalom competitions. His scores this season show he has a chance of a podium at the World Championships if he can produce his best form. Last week he became British Men’s Slalom Champion for the third time.

Jack Critchley. Photo Johnny Hayward

The scores of six of the 12 GB athletes will contribute to the team score.

GB TEAM

• Amber Butterfield (slalom, tricks, jump)
• Jack Critchley (slalom & jump).
• Rob Hazelwood (slalom, tricks, jump)
• Sanchia Outram (slalom, tricks, jump)
• Tom Parkin (slalom, tricks, jump)
• Joel Poland, (slalom, tricks, jump)

Joel Poland. Photo Johnny Hayward

INDIVIDUALLY QUALIFIED

• Will Asher (slalom)
• Arron Davies (slalom)
• Freddie Winter (slalom)

WILDCARDS

• Charlie Emmett (slalom)
• Emily Newsome (slalom)
• Ben Turp (slalom)

Sanchia Outram. Photo James Elliott

The squad will be supported in Italy by Team Captain, Glenn Campbell and physiotherapist, Tom Williams.

“I am proud and honoured to be representing the British Waterski Team for the first time as team captain,” Glenn said. “This responsibility has been handed over to me by Steve Sopp, who has represented Team GB for over 30 years. Steve has left a remarkable legacy, and I know I have some big shoes to fill.

“With over 40 years of competing in waterskiing, including World Cup titles, European titles, and a silver medal at the World Championships, I bring a wealth of experience to the role. My goal is to support the team in every way possible, sharing my knowledge and ensuring each member has what they need to perform at their very best.

“I am excited for this new chapter and look forward to leading such a talented group of athletes on the international stage.”

Will Asher. Photo Johnny Hayward

The full schedule and live results can be found here.

The competition will be streamed live by The Waterski Broadcasting Company.

Good luck everyone!