France take the triple win at the Paragliding Worlds 2025

France swept the board at the FAI Paragliding World Championships 2025 in Brazil, winning gold, gold and more gold.

Baptiste Lambert took the overall win at the end of the two-week competition, while Constance Mettetal took gold in the women’s and Team France comfortably won the nations trophy.

The other spots on the podium were taken by Honorin Hamard (FRA, silver) and Marcelo Sanchez Vilchez (ESP, bronze) in the overall competition, with Alexia Fischer (USA, silver) and Keiko Hiraki (JPN, bronze) in the women’s.

Separated by just over 100 points, Spain came second in the nations and Italy was third. The UK narrowly missed out on the podium, coming fourth, although former world champion Russ Ogden won the seventh task, finishing fifth overall.

Constance was elated, posting afterwards: “This is crazy, I’m still struggling to realise. Intense, challenging but absolutely amazing two weeks. Happiness is immense.”

In total eight tasks were flown, ranging from 59km to 75km, with conditions challenging at times. In a team post shared by Baptiste and Constance, they wrote: “What an adventure for Team France in Brazil. The result is exceptional.

“From the first rounds, coach Julien Garcia had emphasised that the conditions were marginal, sometimes very difficult, but the team managed to stay compressed and create the gap from the beginning. Day after day, despite the pressure, the Blues ran their strategy, with strong tactical plans, intact motivation and an exemplary mindset.”

France’s dominance was never in doubt. There were only two days in which there was no French pilot on the podium, with Julien Wirtz and Maxime Pinot also claiming podium positions mid event. Other task winners included William Pardis (PHI), Erico Oliveira (BRA), Dusan Surina Jr. (SVK) and Jacek Gorski (POL).

Some 129 pilots from 52 nations participated in the biennial event, which was held 31 August to 12 September and organised by Frank Brown, a multiple Brazilian champion.

Castelo, in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil, is about 550km, or seven hours’ drive north, from the famous beaches of Rio de Janeiro. A world class competition venue, it has hosted numerous national, international, World Cup and Pan-American championships over the years. The small town of Castelo sits at just 100m AMSL and is surrounded by hills, with take-offs facing all directions. Thanks to its relative nearness to the Atlantic coast it has a complex aerology, with daily sea breezes and convergence lines.

RESULTS

Overall

1. Baptiste Lambert (FRA, Ozone Enzo 3) 5,734.6
2. Honorin Hamard (FRA, Ozone Enzo 3) 5,706.6
3. Marcelo Sanchez Vilchez (ESP, Niviuk X-One) 5,692.1

Women

1. Constance Mettetal (FRA, Niviuk X-One) 5,262.1
2. Alexia Fischer (USA, Ozone Enzo 3) 5,242.8
3. Keiko Hiraki (JPN, Ozone Enzo 3) 4,931.9

Nations

1. France, 15,074
2. Spain, 14,461
3. Italy, 14,340

Find the full results at civlcomps.org