Wow, how’s that for a title? But this is no ordinary Russian we’re talking about — it’s Mikhail Prokhorov, widely considered the richest man in Russia. Like most billionaires he can party with supermodels and vacation in the most exotic locales, but this is one billionaire who can also backflip a stand-up PWC.


Who taught him? The former freestyle king who’s been sporting Prokhorov’s business logos on his ski since way back when — Rick Roy.


Long ago Roy got hooked up with Prokhorov and his friends, avid sportsmen who wanted to learn some of the champ’s moves. Now, this very wealthy 6′8″ dude is displaying his PWC freeride skills on none other than 60 Minutes…and buying a big-time American sports franchise.


Check out Prokhorov showing off his skills at about 1:00 into the following 60 Minutes piece…and then stay tuned to the rest of the story. It’s pretty interesting.



Written by: Jeff Hemmel
Jeff Hemmel writes for boats.com, Boating, PersonalWatercraft.com, and Powersports Business. The former Senior Editor at Watercraft World, Jeff is a multi-time award winner as well as a 2008 inductee into the IJSBA Hall of Fame. His first book, "The Anti-Pirate Potato Cannon...and 101 Other Things For Young Mariners To Try, Do, & Build On the Water," received a bronze medal in the 2010 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards.