DESTIN — Ben Merrell came home proud last month after taking third place in the Flyboard World Cup in Qatar.
The owner of PowerUp Watersports in Destin was one of 67 competitors invited to the second-ever flyboard competition in the west Asian country.
“It was an awesome experience,” Merrell said. “To place third was just icing on the cake. Just seeing all the guys, the different ways they did things and their set up and styles was inspirational. There are some limitations because you’re attached to a hose, so it was cool to see what they were doing.”
Merrell said the top eight competitors were in a tight race. He defeated the world champion in the quarterfinals after the judges spent 15 minutes discussing the match.
“When they made the announcement everyone went nuts,” said Merrell, who is 30. “That was kind of cool. Then I lost to the guy who was named champion. He was the best flyboarder I’ve ever seen.”
He got back to practicing as soon as he got home. He says he’s going to be ready for the competition next year.
“I’ve got about 10,000 flips and twists to do between now and then,” Merrell said. “I’ve got to earn this third place title.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.