LANTANA, FL [August 19, 2008]--Rookie pro wakeboarder Raimi Merritt beat out Dallas Friday and Shelby Kantar for the gold medal at the ISWF World Cup in Egypt on August 15. Merritt’s first place finish was her first for the 2008 season.
The ISWF World Cup was to be held at Hacienda Bay Beach on the Mediterranean Sea, but rough conditions prompted a last-minute change of venue. Riders were brought inland to a man-made lagoon at Palm Hills Development, where the riders themselves constructed an impromptu obstacle course, making a jump out of two floating pontoon docks stacked on top of each other and rails out a variety of poles. "The whole thing was kind of sketchy," said Merritt.
The improvised jump and rails proved challenging, as Merritt watched as other riders fell or failed to hit the rails. "The pro women only had one run, so I planned ahead, and luckily, I managed to do better than anyone else," said Merritt. "It was pretty exciting."
Next, Merritt competes at the WWA World Championships in Oklahoma September 4-7, the IWSF World Cup in Singapore October 10-12, and the IWSF World Cup in Qatar November 13-16.
She remains the frontrunner for MonaVie’s Queen of Wake Rookie of the Year Award, which is a $2,500 cash bonus prize given to the most outstanding female rider of rookie status competing in the Queen of Wake series. The winner will be announced this fall.
Merritt is sponsored by Liquid Force Wakeboards, MonaVie Nutrition Beverage, R3 Global, and Fly High Wakeboard Gear. For more information about Merritt, visit: www.raimimerritt.com.
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