By Jack Burden

POLK CITY, FL — The longest-standing world record in waterskiing might have just fallen—by the narrowest margin in history.

At the Bill Wenner Memorial Record tournament in central Florida this weekend, reigning world overall and jump champion Hanna Straltsova quietly assembled a near-flawless performance: 5 buoys at 11.25 meters (38’ off), 8,890 points in tricks, and a 59.8-meter (196 ft) jump. Combined, her scores yielded an overall total of 2,581.4—just 0.3 points beyond the mark Natallia Berdnikava set back in 2012.

If ratified, it would not only end a 13-year reign, but also stand as the smallest margin by which a world overall record has ever been broken.

Straltsova, a former Belarusian who now skis for the United States and trains at Bennett’s Ski School in Louisiana, has long been one of the most promising athletes in the sport. Since Jacinta Carroll’s retirement, she’s dominated jump. But this weekend may have marked her most complete performance yet—one built not on one standout moment, but on balance, precision, and timing across all three events.

Berdnikava’s 2012 mark—3@11.25m, 9,740 points, and a 58.0m (190′) jump—became a benchmark that defined a generation. For over a decade, it resisted every challenger. Straltsova came closest—not with explosive trick scores or a record-breaking jump, but with just enough across the board.

Still, her record-setting effort was nearly lost in the noise.

At the same event, 17-year-old Jake Abelson tricked over 13,000 points twice, possibly signaling a new era for men’s trick skiing. But Straltsova’s accomplishment—subtler, steadier—may prove just as historic.

After years of dominance in one event, she’s now proven herself capable of rewriting the totals, too. And in a sport where overall skiing has sometimes taken a back seat to individual-event spectacle, that matters.

Thirteen years. A third of a point. A new name at the top.