Sarah Teelow

Sarah Louise Teelow (22 January 1993 – 24 November 2013) was an Australian water skier. The daughter of parents who were water skiers and who operate a swimming pool business, she competed in the sport from the age of 13. Teelow entered events across the globe and won the 2013 Waterski Racing World Championship in the Formula 2 category. Teelow was killed from an atlanto-occipital dislocation she sustained in an accident during the 2013 Bridge to Bridge Water Ski Classic.

Personal life Teelow was born in the Wellington Hospital in Wellington, New South Wales on 22 January 1993 to Tania (née Williams) and Chris Teelow; both of her parents competed in water skiing events and her mother is a two-time world champion. The family operates a swimming pool business in Wellington and reside in the town. Teelow has a younger brother, Jarrod. She was taught at the St Mary's Catholic School in Wellington and completed her education at the St John's College in Dubbo. Teelow took part in athletics events for the Wellington Little Athletics club. At the time of her death, she was enrolled on a bachelor of science human movement course at the University of Technology Sydney.

Career Aged 13, Teelow began competing in water skiing events. She learnt to ski on the Burrendong Dam in 2007. Teelow was named the Australian and Australian Capital Territory Junior Skier of the Year for 2008 and the New South Wales Junior Skier of the Year. She secured qualification to the 2009 Waterski Racing World Championships in Belgium at the national selection rounds in Lake Charm. Teelow prepared for the competition by broadening her experience on rough waters with ski sessions in Botany Bay and Port Jackson. She came fourth and fifth overall in the concluding two rounds for a final finish of fourth-place overall.

Thereafter, Teelow made appearances in competitions across the world, in such countries as Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. the Grafton Bridge to Bridge, and the Bridge to Bridge events in 2011. Teelow sustained a broken ankle during an event in 2012 and she spent time recuperating. In September 2013, she won the Formula 2 category of that year's World Waterski Racing Championships in the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands. According to Teelow's father, she planned to progress to the Formula 1/Opens class as the next step of her career. Soon after the race had commenced, She was transported by helicopter to the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney a "critical condition".

Her death was investigated by the New South Wales Police Force and the Roads & Maritime Services with co-operation from Ski Racing Australia;

Personality and legacy Teelow was described by her friends as a "champion on and off the water" and her former school co-ordinator called her "a beautiful girl with such a joyous smile". The 2014 Bridge to Bridge Water Ski Classic was allowed to commence as scheduled by organisers and was converted into a memorial in Teelow's honour.