Bailey Rush of Ponoka has made wakesurfing history, winning the sport’s first-ever gold medal at the World Games.
Competing in Chengdu, China, on Sunday, (August 10), Rush captured gold in the women’s wakesurfing (skim) event as the sport made its debut on the World Games stage.
The 25-year-old Wake Canada national team athlete dominated prequalification and semifinal rounds before sealing the victory in the finals.
“This is a memory I’ll treasure forever,” said Rush. “Winning gold at the first-ever debut of wakesurfing and getting to sing the Canadian national anthem in front of my flag was incredible.”
Already a six-time Competitive Wake Surf Association (CWSA) world champion, Rush is one of the few professional women to compete in both surf and skim styles, and the only female athlete to win world titles in both disciplines.
Her path to the podium has been anything but ordinary.
“I once dreamed of Olympic gold in figure skating, but chose family over that path,” she said. “Years later, I found wakesurfing, a true team sport where every ride, fall and win is built on the people who lift you up. My parents made this possible, and I’m endlessly grateful for the choices and support that led us here today.”
Rush trains on Gull Lake during Alberta’s short summer season and works full-time as a school teacher in Rimbey.
Her gold medal at the World Games cements her status among the sport’s top athletes and shines a spotlight on one of the world’s fastest-growing water sports.
**With information from Wake Canada
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