1.
GV PAN Mapple (UK) on first run of men's slalom
0.18

2.
GV Crowd applauds
0.20

3.
GV PAN Mapple competing second run. Crowd applauds (2 shots)
0.35

4.
GV PAN Mapple finishes
0.45

5.
GV PAN Carrasco of Venezuela doing first run of Women's Tricks event
1.04

6.
SCU Photographer
1.06

7.
GV PAN Carrasco's second run
1.30

8.
GV PAN Competitor in Men's Jump event
1.40

9.
GV PAN Competitor in Men's Jump event
1.48

10.
GV PAN Men's Jump winner Mike Hazelwood of Britain
2.03




Initials PM



SPORT: WATER SKIING
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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: INTRODUCTION: Once again the Americans were the top team at the World Water Skiing Championships held at Thorpe Park near London, England. They won it for the seventeenth consecutive time. However, Britain's Andy Mapple and Mike Hazelwood thrilled the large crowd with wins in the Slalom and Jump events on the last day of the Championships.

SYNOPSIS: Although the American team enjoyed their traditional supremacy there were some outstanding individual performances by the home team. Andy Mapple, who had earlier established a new European record in the slalom, went on to win the event. His compatriot John Battleday was second.

It is only the second time that Britain has hosted the Championships and the crowd was treated to a dazzling display by Mapple in his last run. The points scored by Mapple and Battleday helped the British team recover from a poor start in the championships. However they were unable to overhaul the Australian team who finished second to the United States.

The Women's Figures, on Tricks event was won in stylish fashion by Maria Esperanza Carrasco of Venezuela. The world record holder beat the previous world champion, Natalia Rumyantseva of the Soviet Union, into second place. Carrasco's spectacular exhibition was not however enough to win her the overall Women's title. That was won by Karin Roberge of the United States. Roberge might have lacked Carrasco's flair in the Figures but, like the other American skiiers, she showed more consistency in the championships as a whole. Roberge finished third in the Figures and second in the Slalom.

Most exciting of the final day's events was the Men's Jumping competition. Ski-jumping is a spectacular but dangerous sport and the big crowd saw some interesting jumps before Britain's Mike Hazelwood exhibited his class to win.

Hazelwood, the World Champion, was the last to jump but his 57.9 metre (63 yards) effort was easily the best of the championship. This prodigious leap earned Hazelwood second place overall behind American Sammy Duval.