PILI, CAMARINES SUR—There’s a reason the latest sensation of the sport hardly felt nervous during his winning run in the third Philippine Cable Wakeboard Nationals here.

Working as a cable operator in the CamSur Watersports Complex, new champion Ricky Otilla had seen the world’s best riders showcase their flashy tricks many times over.

“I’ve always known I can do the tricks,” the 21-year-old rider said in Filipino.

Otilla dethroned Arthur King, the top Filipino wakeboarder ranked 11th in the world masters category, with a clean and fancy run that merited 84.67 points for the Men’s Professional championship.

For Otilla, the extreme sport has always been a mix of work and play.

“As an employee in the park, we were also required to learn the sport,” said Otilla. “But I always practice after work, so they decided to train me.”

With his promising skills, Otilla became one of the protégés of Reuben Buchanan, an Australian wakeboarder who helps manage the sports complex.

Just after months of training, the hometown bet finished third behind King and Dan Saraza in the Men’s Professional competition last year.

“I can’t believe how much he improved,” said two-time International Champion Cupic Vukasin of Serbia, one of the seven professional foreign riders who judged the event.

“The progression here is faster than usual. I see the Filipino riders growing up faster than I did.”

The 5-foot-3 Otilla highlighted his impressive range of tough tricks with a 720-degree spin and a mobius—a series of tricks that includes flips and 360-degree spins—that pushed him ahead of Saraza, who finished second with 82.33 points.

King, who dominated the event since its inaugural run in 2006, fell to third with 68.67.

“I will continue to work in the park,” said Otilla. “But I’m hoping to win more. I want to win in international competitions.”