The German cable wakeboarders have won the World Games in Chengdu won a complete medal set of gold, silver and bronze. Surprising: the joint success of best friends Max Milde and Florian Weiherer, who won silver and bronze despite initial difficulties in training. Gold went to the French athlete Loic Deschaux, while Milde, as European champion, took silver just 2.2 points behind. Weiherer finished 30 points behind in bronze. It is worth noting that Milde was still in the lead after the first run, but was not at all upset about narrowly missing out on victory.
Friendship more important than gold
The deep friendship between the two German wakeboarders took centre stage after the competition. "The most important thing for me is that I can stand on the podium together with Flo. We are best friends, more than brothers, we do everything in sport together, I talk to him more on the phone than I do to my girlfriend," said Duisburg native Milde after the competition. His team-mate from Munich agreed enthusiastically: "It's unbelievable and hard to describe. There's nothing better than winning a medal together with Max. We've done it before at a European Championships, but at the World Games it's a completely different story," explained Weiherer. Both emphasised how special this joint success on the international stage was for them and how much they put their friendship above sporting success.
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Difficult training conditions overcome
The success of the German wakeboarders is all the more remarkable given that the preparations in China were anything but optimal. "We had big problems in training because the course was unfamiliar and we hardly had time to adjust to it," explained Max Milde. The special feature of the competition venue: the cable car imported from Germany is the first for cable wakeboard not only in Chengdu, but in the whole of China. The installation differs significantly from the usual conditions, as it is built higher than conventional cable cars. This meant that different forces acted on the athletes' bodies, which required them to adapt quickly. Despite these challenges, the two friends were overjoyed with the outcome: "In the end, we're just happy that everything worked out so well."
Olympic ambitions of the wakeboard community
The German team's success at the World Games is fuelling hopes for an Olympic future for the sport. Julia Rick is already optimistic about the future: "Germany is a cable wakeboard nation. We have to keep pushing our sport, then we might have the chance to slip into the Olympic programme in Brisbane as early as 2032. We are just as exciting as snowboarding or skateboarding," she said. The 32-year-old athlete can imagine competing again at the 2029 World Games in Karlsruhe. "At 32, I'm fitter than ever, so if it stays that way, I'd be keen to compete again," explained Rick.
Sports director satisfied with overall performance
The German team's performance was also a complete success from an association perspective. Sports Director Leichsenring was highly satisfied with the performance of his athletes: "For us as an association, the result was great. One medal was the target, now we have a whole set. Hats off to the performance of the whole team." The original target was clearly exceeded, underlining Germany's strong position in the international wakeboarding scene. What has been achieved demonstrates the breadth and quality of the German squad and confirms Germany's leading role as a "cable wakeboard nation", as Julia Rick put it.
