Chestermere wakesurfer Jolene Allen took home a silver medal in the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation World Wakesurf Championships in Hong Kong, China.
The event ran from November 2-10 at Tai Po Waterfront Park.
Allen says during qualifier heats she was in first place. However, there was a chance of a typhoon hitting the area, and staff with the event pushed her race to finish early.
"They added our final run to the end of the day, and I was the very last rider to ride that day. Unfortunately, it pushed me to ride into the dark."
Allen found it quite challenging to see the waves. However, she saw a silver lining in her second-place finish in the Veteran Women "Skim."
"Every competition poses its challenges, and I think as an athlete it's good to learn from every experience," says Allen.
Overall, Team Canada came in fourth place.
"We didn't even have a full team there, so to come in fourth I felt like we did really good," added Allen.
The first-place finish went to the United States, second to Hong Kong, and third to Ukraine.
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Podium finishes include:
- Bailey Rush, Ponoka, Alberta, captured 2nd place in Open Women “Skim” style and 3rd place in Open Women “Surf” style
- Lily Anderson, Kelowna, British Columbia, secured 2nd in Open Women “Surf”
- Morgan Bateman, Lacombe, Alberta, took 3rd in U18 Female “Skim” and placed 5th in “Surf”
- Jolene Allen, Chestermere, Alberta, earned 2nd in Veteran Women “Skim”
- Kerry Williams, Calgary, Alberta, placed 4th in U18 Male “Skim”
- Amy Gillespie, Calgary, Alberta, finished 7th in Open Women “Skim”
- Bennett Bateman, Lacombe, Alberta, placed 12th in Grom Boys “Surf”
Up next for Allen is some much-needed time off.
Next year she plans to continue riding and volunteering in the sport. She also wants to ensure wakesurfing events continue to happen in Canada and make them accessible to everyone.