Patra and Agrinio are getting ready to welcome the stars of Water Skiing in the II Mediterranean Beach Games “Patra 2019”.
All three Water Skiing events, i.e. Slalom, Tricks and Wakeboard, will be present in the Games between August 29th and 31st, in the “Hera” Venue in Patra and in Lake Stratos in Agrinio.
Forty-four athletes from five countries (powerhouses Italy and France, as well as Tunisia, hosts Greece, and ascending Cyprus) will participate.
In the Slalom event, to be held in Agrinio, nine male and seven female athletes will compete, while the respective numbers will be eight and seven for Tricks, and seven and six for Wakeboard. In total, eighteen medals will be awarded.
The Greek team consists of Angeliki ANDRIOPOULOU (a world-elite athlete for many years and Greece’s flag bearer in the Games Opening Ceremony), Nikos PLYTAS (bronze medal winner in Pescara in 2015), Filippos KYPRIOS, Thymios KOUSATHANAS (a medalist in the Seniors European Championship in Ioannina last month), Mika PAPOUDI, Eleni ALEXANDROU, Katerina ANDREOPOULOU and Pavlos NATHANAIL.
Hopeful Roula PANTELI and experienced Ioannis KOKKINOS are the stars of the Cypriot team, and are expected to play a significant part in their events.
Τhe italian team includes Julia MOLINARI (medalist in the World Championships in Wakeboard), European champion in Wakeboard Alice VIRAG, Greta TAGLIATI (medalist in the European Championships), Federico BELLINI (medalist in the World Championship in Wakeboard), Ιgor COLOMBO (medalist in both the European and the World Championships) and national champion in Slalom and Tricks, Nicolas BENATTI.
As far as the Fench team is concerned, all eyes will be on Pierre BALLON (Νο 2 in the World Ranking) and Ambre FRANC who finished fifth in the World Championships.
Most of these athletes come to Patras in good shape, as they participated in the World Championships held in Malaysia from August 13th to 18th.
Dimos ALEXOPOULOS, the vastly experienced Water Skiing Competition Manager, estimates that “the events will be top level, closely competed, very spectacular, and will certainly attract the spectators’ interest.”
Action begins on Thursday, August 29th, with the Slalom event qualification rounds in Lake Stratos in Agrinio (10:00-12:00), followed by the two events to be held in the “Hera” Venue in Patras, Tricks and Wakeboard, on Friday and Saturday.