Hemel teenager competes for team GB at international wakeboard championship in Denmark

A 14-year-old from Gadebridge, Hemel Hempstead has made his international sporting debut in Denmark after he was selected to represent team GB at International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation European and African Championships.

Samuel Bradbury, who goes to Laureate Academy, has been wakeboarding since he was nine and has been training hard, up to five times a week, ahead of the competition this week.

He travelled to Thy Cablepark in Thisted, northwest Denmark this week and is part of a 23-person team from across the UK led by their captain Dale Crossley.

Samuel splits his time training between Box End Park in Bedford and Liquid Leisure in Windsor.

His preferred style of the sport is cable wakeboarding, in which riders use a cable tow and perform tricks over obstacles or features at a specially designed wake park.

They are scored on the difficulty and variety of their tricks and how well they perform.

His dad, John said: “Samuel is super stoked and proud to represent his country and as parents, we are really proud of all the hard work and effort he has done to get to where he is.”

He added: “Wakeboarding is a non-funded team GB sport so any support from any potential sponsors is always welcome.

Samuel has also been selected to compete in World Championships in Thailand in October and November.

In the future, Samuel hopes to pursue a career in sports as he enjoys football and rugby outside of his passion for wakeboarding.