BAREFOOT water skier Arron McCombie is targeting the world championships in 2018 after winning silver at the European and African championships.

The 25-year-old builder from Barnton scored success as part of Team GB in the competition in Sweden.

He was part of a nine-strong team which competed against nine countries in a championship on the 1,000-foot long Lake Vattern, the second largest in Sweden.

The competition consisted of tricks, slalom and a jump event, and individual points were added together to produce a team score.

Team GB came second to Germany, and Arron is now looking to the European and African championships next year in Italy and the world championships in Canada in 2018.

Barefoot water skiing originated in Florida, requires the skier to travel at higher speeds than conventional water skiing, and it is believed the first person to barefoot water ski was a teenager in 1947.

“I’ve been doing barefoot water skiing for about a year, and became interested in it through my dad Kevin, who used to be part of the GB team,” said Arron, who is managing director of McCombie Construction.

“I love the adrenalin you get from the sport and the fact you can skim across the water at 43 miles an hour.

“We were hoping to win a medal at the championships in Sweden as we have some strong skiers, although I was grateful to win any colour of medal.

“I performed well, achieving personal bests in all the events after setting PBs in the nationals, which I was pleased with, as the windy conditions in Sweden weren’t ideal.”

Arron trains on the River Weaver at Frodsham with fellow Team GB members Rick Moys, Tom Heaps and David Field, using a speedboat driven by his dad.

Arron wants to encourage more people to take part in the sport, and would like to get more juniors involved.

He is also seeking sponsorship from gyms and help with funding for flights, team gear and Barefooting suits, and anyone who would like to support him or for more information on barefoot water skiing can call 07595 464340.