A teenage waterskier from Sheffield will be competing in a world championships next week with strong hopes of achieving a medal for Great Britain.
Charlie Fearn, 16, is a pupil at Bradfield Secondary School in Sheffield and he will be flying to compete as a Team GB member for waterskiing at the Under-17 Waterski World Championships in Argentina next week.
He will be competing alongside 110 other athletes from across 18 countries in Córdoba, Argentina in the slalom, tricks and jumps. The championships are being held across five days between 1st April and 5th April 2026.
Waterski jumping involves the competitor skiing on two skis over a ramp at speeds of up to 70mph. They take off and land on the water to ski. The distance travelled and a successful landing is measured.
Charlie Fearn at the 2025 Europe & Africa Youth Waterski Championships. Photo Credit: Chris Yates
Slalom is when a boat is travelling at a constant speed in a straight line down the middle of a course, 36mph for men and 34mph for women.
The skier must go through a pair of buoys then bend from side to side and successfully round six turn buoys and end by going through the exit gate. The winner is the skier who completes the most turn buoys at the shortest rope length.
Tricks is when the skier is given two second-passes to complete as many different tricks as possible such as a 180-degree turn to somersaults. Points are awarded based on difficulty and if they are successfully performed.
The combined scores from each discipline contribute to the athlete’s total score. The individual scores of the squad then contribute towards a Team score.
Charlie’s fellow GB youth athletes are siblings James Cosgrove (16), Isabel Cosgrove (14), Lara Cosgrove (12), Willow Skipsey (16) Chichester, West Sussex and Harley Coster (15) Camberley, Surrey.
The sixteen-year-old currently trains at Hazelwood Ski World in Lincoln and in the lead up to the championships has been training in Florida, USA.
Charlie was previously a medallist at the 2023 Europe and Africa Youth Championships where he won bronze in the Under 14 Boys’ Jump. He is a former Under 12 Boys British Jump Champion and represented GB at the European Youth Championships in 2022 in Greece.
You can find out more about the Under-17 Waterski World Championships by following the link below: IWWF WORLD UNDER-17 WATERSKI CHAMPIONSHIPS
