Making waves on world stage

SOME of the best wakeboarders are set to compete at the world championships on the Gold Coast next week, and among them will be Mildura’s Liam Dinnage.

The 23-year-old local wakeboarder will travel to Queensland to compete in the 2024 Nautique WWA World Championship.

This comes just six months after Dinnage became a national champion, nailing his final run at the Australian Wakeboard Nationals to claim the 19-29 Men’s division.

Although the start of the season has only just begun, with the Murray River water still pretty cold to train in, Dinnage said he felt prepared but was also a little nervous.

“When you’re standing on the dock it is very nerve-wracking, you just don’t know what is going to happen,” he said.

“You could get up and do your first two tricks and come off, and that sort of wrecks your whole plan.

“But it’s all part of it, that’s what makes it exciting I guess.”

Dinnage explained that the competition is fairly unforgiving.

“You normally do about five tricks up and then turn around and do five tricks back and that is it,” he said.

“If you fall off you get one chance, but if you fall off again, that’s it.”

Dinnage will be competing in the 19-24 division of the world championship this year, but hopes the pro division is something “in the next couple of years I can start stepping up to”.

“It’s such a cool experience,” he said.

“I’ll keep going until my body starts giving up.”