Naracoorte’s Ben Copping is not only a familiar face at Woolworths – he is now officially a world record holder, defying a lifetime of challenges with grit, resilience, and an unshakable love for sport.

The 42-year-old, who grew up on a small farm outside Lucindale, has turned what many would see as limitations into a story of extraordinary determination – culminating in a world-record performance on the water last month.

Ben, who lives with multiple disabilities including right-sided hemiplegia, hearing loss, and vision impairment, achieved the IWWF Disabled (Adaptive) A/L2 Slalom world record at the Australian National Water Ski Championships in Mulwala, NSW.

His record: ½ buoy at 52km/h (boat speed) on an 18.25m rope line.

“I was told immediately on returning to the skier’s dock that I had skied a pending world record.

“I was pleasantly surprised to be informed of the news,” he told The [Naracoorte] News in an interview.

But for Ben, behind the record stands a family that has been there in every step of his way. He is the son of Layton and Susan, and brother to Lauren and Hannah – a close-knit family whose support had underpinned his journey from a young boy on the water to a world record holder.

Born with a form of cerebral palsy following a difficult birth, Ben’s life had been shaped by challenges – including the loss of sight in his stronger eye after an accident in 1994, leaving him with vision in just one eye and no depth perception.

Yet, he said from the age of four, he found freedom on the water – learning to ski with his father and grandfather, George at Lake Fellmongery in Robe.

“My journey has been lifelong, beginning at the age of 4 years learning to water ski with my father Layton and grandfather (George) at Lake Fellmongery, Robe,” he said.

“I have never let my disabilities stop me from doing the sports I love, so I worked very hard practising water skiing at any opportunity I got.”

However, that determination would carry him through years of setbacks – including being told in 2018 that he did not fit into any adaptive category, leaving him “very disappointed and frustrated”.

But he said persistence paid off.

A reassessment in 2019 opened the door to adaptive competition, and by 2021, Ben had claimed gold at his first national championships – a moment shared with the family who had backed him through the highs and lows. Even then, he shared that the road was far from smooth.

Selected for the Australian team at the IWWF World Disabled Championships in 2025, he was forced to decline due to the demands of vision-impaired competition – requiring blackout goggles and sound-based navigation, which was impossible given his hearing loss.

He said while for many this would have been the end of their dream, for him, it became a turning point.

A full reassessment at the event saw him reclassified into the A/L2 category – recognising his right-sided weakness – setting the stage for his record-breaking performance just months later.

He said the achievement is as much about the people behind him as the man himself.

“This achievement means a lot to me as it represents the hard work I have put in both mentally and physically over my life,” he said.

“I appreciate the ongoing support from my family and friends, Woolworths (my employer), the Naracoorte/Lucindale/Robe communities, and the waterskiing community Australia-wide.”

Now, the world record holder has his sights set on even bigger goals.

“My next competition will be competing for Australia in the over 35 years Oceania Waterski (category) in November this year.

“Hopefully in the future I can represent Australia in the IWWF World Championships.”

This article appeared in The Naracoorte News, 6 May 2026.