By Jack Burden

At 44 years old, Thomas Degasperi is still rewriting water skiing’s record books. Over the weekend, the Italian captured his 12th European & Africa Slalom Championship—his sixth consecutive—cementing his place as one of the sport’s enduring greats.

“12 times European & Africa Champion. No words,” Degasperi posted afterward.

With the win, Degasperi moves into second all-time for most European titles in a single discipline, trailing only Patrice Martin’s 15 trick titles. He also climbs to 10th on the all-time titles list, but holds the record for the most titles by a single-event specialist. His 12 slalom crowns are more than double the total of the next closest men’s champions—Martin and Roby Zucchi—who each own six.

The latest triumph comes in the middle of another age-defying season. Degasperi currently sits third on the Waterski Pro Tour leaderboard after a string of podiums and a home-soil victory at July’s San Gervasio Pro Am. Only tour leader Freddie Winter has stood on more professional podiums in 2025 than the ever-present Italian.

A two-time world champion and five-time worlds medalist, Degasperi now turns his focus to the World Championships later this month, where he will once again ski in front of a home crowd.

In the European final, Degasperi held off a stacked field that included Sacha Descuns, Brando Caruso, and Tim Tornquist to extend his continental reign.

Other champions crowned in the tournament included Ukraine’s Danylo Filchenko, who took gold in both tricks and overall—mirrored on the women’s side by new mother Giannina Bonnemann Mechler, also winning tricks and overall. Additional titles went to Katerina Vrabcova, Luca Rauchenwald, and Jutta Menestrina.