Staff Reporter
Durban
Namibian water skier Natascha Rottcher set a new African record at the African Championships held at the Thonrlea Lake in Durban last weekend.
She tumbled the old record in the Open Women’s category with a score of 2.25 buoys with a 12m rope at a boat speed
of 55km/h – shattering the 13-year-old previous record of 2 buoys at the 12m rope set by Kim Rice from Zimbabwe in 1994.
Rottcher is the only woman out of 10 females competing in the tourney to run her 13m pass with the highest and best female score for an overall 8th place out of 33 competitors.
The 22-year-old Namibian has been professionally water skiing since 2007 and specialises in slalom skiing, also known as alpine skiing, which involves skiing through poles and
gates.
Rottcher trains in Florida, US at the Swiss Water Ski Resort, where she puts in all her long hours and hard work. She holds all national records for U14, U17, U21 and open water skiing and is the All African Slalom Champion, being awarded as the best female water skier in Africa.
She is ranked 42nd on the European African ranking list for top international water skiing. Her intense training and dedication has been rewarded this year.
.