By Jack Burden

MELBOURNE, Australia — Before the professional stars took over the Yarra River, the next generation had its stage.

Junior Moomba wrapped Thursday and Friday in Melbourne, launching the 2026 Moomba Masters with two days of emerging talent, breakthrough performances, and a preview of athletes who will soon shape the professional ranks. This year’s edition carried added significance: for the first time, the event featured both under-17 and under-21 divisions, reflecting Nautique’s shift in junior competition as part of their new Water Ski World Series.

The result was a program that felt both like a proving ground and, at times, a rehearsal for the professional tournament still to come.

And all of it unfolded against the backdrop of a city preparing for a massive sporting weekend. With Formula 1 arriving at Albert Park, an AFL opener expected to draw nearly 100,000 fans at the nearby MCG, and crowds swelling across the city, Melbourne was already buzzing. On the Yarra, tucked between bridges and riverbanks, water skiing quietly added its own chapter.

One of the most dominant performances belonged to Peru’s Christhiana De Osma, who controlled the under-17 girls slalom field with back-to-back scores deep at 11.25 meters (38′ off). Her consistency left little doubt about the outcome and reinforced her reputation as one of the most promising young slalomers in the world.

In jump, Australia’s Zarhli Reeves delivered one of the standout moments of the week. Her 45.2-meter leap pushed her personal best and extended her margin over the rest of the under-17 girls globally to nearly five meters — a commanding position as the sport begins looking ahead to the upcoming junior world championships.

The under-17 boys slalom final provided the opposite dynamic: nail-biting tension. American Landon Stisher and Argentina’s Bautista Ahumada traded blows all the way down to 10.75 meters (39.5′ off) before Stisher edged the contest by only half a buoy in the two-round, combined-score format.

Jump in the same division became a spectacle of distance. Multiple athletes cleared the 50-meter mark, but it was Argentina’s Francisco Giorgis who ultimately claimed the title with a 52.9-meter effort. Top-seeded American BG Bickley produced the biggest jump of the finals — a massive 54 meters (177 feet) — yet an uncharacteristically difficult opening round left him chasing points he could never quite recover.

The new under-21 divisions added a different flavor: athletes already brushing against the professional elite.

Canada’s Charlie Ross made perhaps the loudest statement of the week in slalom. His imperious 4 buoys at 10.25 meters (41′ off) could have been a winning score in almost any professional field and served as an unmistakable message before the pro event had even begun.

The under-21 men’s trick competition might have been the most anticipated battle of the junior program. Two members of the sport’s exclusive 13,000-point club — Jake Abelson and Matias Gonzalez — faced off alongside Chile’s Martin Labra, competing in his first major event in nearly 18 months.

Abelson ultimately secured the title through consistency, posting two rounds comfortably above 12,000 points. But it was Labra who produced the moment of the finals. In a performance equal parts daring and theatrical, he opened his run with a reverse toe-wake-five-back — a trick rarely attempted in competition — and went on to set a new Moomba course record of 12,840 points on the Yarra River.

It was the run of an athlete skiing without hesitation.

Abelson, meanwhile, added another milestone later in the day. In the under-21 jump final he sailed 62.1 meters — 204 feet — recording the first 200-foot jump of his career.

The under-21 women’s events were highlighted by Australia’s Kristy Appleton, the reigning under-21 world jump champion. Her 48.7-meter (160 foot) leap matched her personal best and helped secure an, admittedly uncontested, overall title.

For all the highlights, the expanded format also exposed some growing pains.

Several divisions featured only two or three competitors, limiting the competitive drama that usually defines Junior Moomba. The restructuring of divisions also meant fewer spots in the traditional under-17 categories, leaving some Australian juniors — athletes who historically would have qualified — watching from the sidelines.

There is also a competitive wrinkle that professional skiers have quietly noted. With the introduction of under-21 divisions, several of the sport’s elite young stars — athletes like Ross, Abelson, and Gonzalez — effectively receive multiple rounds of practice on the Yarra before the professional event begins. For pros arriving fresh to the river, it can feel like a subtle but meaningful advantage.

That dynamic has existed for years when Junior Moomba was limited to under-17 skiers. But now, with athletes already competing at professional level still eligible for junior divisions, the line between preparation and participation has blurred further.

Still, if the purpose of Junior Moomba is to preview the sport’s future, the event succeeded.

Across two days, the Yarra River hosted world-class scores, emerging rivalries, and several athletes who may soon dominate the professional conversation.

And in more than a few cases, the future didn’t wait for the weekend.

It arrived early.