This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A teenage Australian waterskier is recovering in hospital after crashing at a reported speed of around 160km/h at the World Water Ski Racing Championship in the US.

Cooper Robertson, 17, sustained a broken leg and back injuries in the high-speed accident, according to US authorities.

Robertson, who is listed as a junior on Ski Racing Australia’s website, was pulled from the water by the US coast guard after the incident on Saturday.

The coast guard, at the amateur event in Tacoma to give assistance, said Robertson was transferred to emergency responders at the scene before being taken to hospital.

“He’s OK,” Wes Lloyd, the chief executive of Ski Racing Australia, told Guardian Australia on Monday. “We’re just awaiting the final medical details. He’s in hospital and he’s doing OK.”

The World Water Ski Racing Championship is held every two years. The last edition was held in Wellington in New Zealand in 2015.

This year’s event saw teams from Spain, Belgium, New Zealand and Austria join the American hosts and Australia competing to be crowned world champions.

Speeds of 160km/h and more are not uncommon in waterski racing, although how fast a skier reaches is dependent on certain factors, including wind.

Last month, there were calls for the implementation of speed limits in the sport following the 2014 death of the champion observer, Ian Baker, on the Hawkesbury river after his boat flipped at 187km/h.

A year before Baker’s death, champion water skier Sarah Teelow died from injuries sustained in a crash, also on the Hawkesbury.