Joachim Oberhauser launches for the final task. Photo: FAI / Marcus King

Flying Culture

Paragliding World Championships 2019

22 June, 2021

After 10 tasks at the FAI Paragliding World Championships 2019 in August two pilots emerged from the swarm holding gold medals. We talk to new Paragliding World Champions Joachim Oberhauser and Méryl Delferrière.

Interviews: Marcus and Charlie King; Photographs: FAI / Marcus King and Xevi Bonet

Joachim Oberhauser

FAI Paragliding World Champion
Italy, Ozone Enzo 3

Congratulations Joachim! Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m Italian, I live in the centre of the Dolomites, in Val Gardena now, and I’m 43 years old. I sell tractors for my work. That allows me to fly more in the summertime, because my work is principally in the winter. And of course I have worked a lot to win this title. I have been on a lot of podiums! Twice in the Paragliding World Cup Superfinal – one time second, one time third – and second in the European Championships, and now finally everything has worked well, and I’m top of the world!

When did you start flying?

I started flying in 1993, when I was 17 years old. I had a lot of friends who did the sport at the time, and the virus attacked me straightaway! I started flying competitions in 2007, and then improving every year, first regional competition, then national competition, then some international comps and the World Cup. I’ve been in the Italian national team now for nine or 10 years. I have been close to catching this title several times, but you need a bit of luck.

How did you find the flying here?

I like the place, Krushevo. It’s incredible. I think it is one of the top three places in the world to fly competition. It’s super-safe and you have a lot of flying days. [Organizer] Goran Dimiskovski does amazing work, because everything he has done here is perfect. I was sure before I arrived it would be a good event. For us as the Italian team, after Portugal last year where we took second place behind Spain at the European Championships, now we are equal first, together with France. It is incredible to have the same points after 10 tasks. It’s funny but incredible. But I also think it is also fair because the best teams are together on top. Everyone in the team scored for the team and did their part. I was happy with the team.

It’s a long competition. What was your approach?

In competition I know you have to be super consistent. On the first day of a competition like this you know you have 10 days ahead of you. You should try not to fly too aggressively, to make goal with the first group on the first day. Instead you try to build and push, push, push. And of course like in all competitions days come when the weather is not so good, or there is an odd task, or something happens, and that happened in this competition too. One time the lead gaggle went down at the end of speed section and didn’t make goal. And I got a low-save at 50m above the ground – crazy. That’s luck! You need that small piece of luck if you want to win.

When did you think you had won?

I think Task 9 when Marco Busetta (IT) won. When Marco won, in front of everyone, 13 minutes ahead, then I knew that all the competition pilots would get a discard, and I had no discard, so that was the point where I thought I had won. And the last three days I controlled a bit. I won with nearly 90 points ahead, that’s a big gap.

How was it when you crossed the line on the last task?

Incredible. It was a bit strange because I knew that I had won when I was in goal. But we didn’t know about the team, because on the last day we were 30 points in front, ahead of France, and Honorin Hamard (FR) did an amazing job the last day, they pushed a lot. And we didn’t know in the landing if we had won team gold. But yes, amazing. I go home with two gold medals to my children and my wife, and that’s important.

Are you happy with the CCC class and how it is these days?

I flew Open Class, I flew D class, and I think now we are at the point where you can see competitions are super-safe. There are no emergencies, no incidents, and I hope we stay like this. The current wings in CCC class can be flown by an expert pilot in competition with no safety problems. Because of this I’m super-happy with the CCC class as it is today.

[But] I am a bit afraid for the future because I have seen the new wings, and I don’t know. I don’t want a return to high-aspect ratio wings that are more demanding to fly in strong and turbulent conditions. Because the wings we have now, they are safe and perform well. I am a friend of sportsmanship, of fair things for everyone, and I hope that we can improve the current wings a bit, but not at the expense of safety.

What’s your advice for competition pilots who are new to the scene?

You must fly a lot. You must fly competitions, low level, high level, but you must fly a lot, that is the best advice. And of course, talk to the older pilots, try to learn. And do SIV training, that is important.

Anyone you’d like to thank?

Thank you to my family, to my wife, for all her effort. Without her it is not possible. We have four children, so she has a lot of work at home. Thank you to her!

‘Unprecedented!’

France and Italy shared joint first place in the Nations category – something that has never happened before in the history of the world championships. Unlike the Paragliding World Cup, team flying is an important aspect of flying in the FAI Paragliding World Championships. Teams are made up of four pilots – the best two pilots score for the team each day.

The Worlds in Krushevo saw France and Italy battle it out for first place – and it came down to the wire. Task 9 was stable and saw pilots struggling to climb, but Italy’s Marco Busetta managed to find a final climb on his own that put him in orbit while the rest of the field scratched around 1,000m below him. He arrived in goal 13 minutes ahead of the pack (pilots usually arrive within seconds of each other), which gave the Italians a huge boost and saw them overtake France in the overall rankings. They won the day by more than 100 points.

The next day though France came fighting back for the last task, and won the day. But with a tighter points-spread between the teams it wasn’t enough for them to overtake Italy. In the end, after much checking and double-checking, a tie was announced. The only questions left were, was there enough space on the top tier of the podium? And did they have enough gold medals to go round? (No! The team leaders flipped a coin for the ones there and Italy won. France were due to receive theirs at the Coupe Icare.)

Méryl Delferrière

FAI Women’s Paragliding World Champion
France, Ozone Enzo 3

Congratulations Méryl, you are a force to be reckoned with at the moment! How does it feel to be FAI Women’s Paragliding World Champion?

It’s really cool, it’s such an honour for me to be World Champion and Paragliding World Cup winner in the same year – two titles I’ve dreamed about winning! It took a while for it to sink in after the competition, but now that I’m back home I’ve slipped back into normal life, but my head is full of great memories!

Tell us more about yourself

I’m 22 – I was born on 29 August 1997 in the South of France. Both of my parents were pilots, and I started flying with them in the Vallouise area at the age of 12. When I was 17 I joined the Pôle Espoir at Font-Romeu in the Pyrenees. [In France Pôles Espoirs allow students who are talented in a particluar sport to continue their studies while focussing on and developing their sport]. Now I’m living in Annecy and studying sports science. As well as paragliding I’m interested in free-fall and Base jumping.

When you’ve finished your studies what do you want to do for work?

I don’t know exactly what I want to do, because I like to be active, to travel, to be on holiday and to fly. I don’t like to work too much. I’m hoping I’ll find something that fits in with that!

Did you enjoy the flying in Krushevo?

Yes I did enjoy it, although I didn’t find the site particularly easy. It seemed that if the thermals were good on a task, the transitions were difficult! We had to do a lot of low glides, and it wasn’t easy to find the best lines. The site is versatile though, with both mountains and plains so the task and route options are varied and there is something for everyone. Although I’m not a fan of flatlands, I liked Krushevo a lot because we managed a full ten tasks out of ten – now that’s amazing!

You won six of the tasks, and you were the favourite to win from the outset. Did knowing this give you confidence, or did it pile on the pressure?

I always try to remain as calm and neutral as possible in these situations. I don’t want to raise my hopes too much or to be overly confident. However, when I finish a task if I have placed well it always feels good. I tell myself I’m another step closer, and it was a step well done.

How do you deal with stress and maintain your focus for the tasks?

I take every day as a new day. Every morning there is a whole new task ahead to prepare, to plan, to fly and to land. Each task is like starting again, and I try to give 100% of myself to every element of it. For most of the World Championships this was my approach. It was only in the last tasks that I started to think tactically about the rankings, to work out what I needed to do that day in order to achieve the best ranking possible.

Anyone you’d like to thank?

Yes, I’d like to thank everyone who supports me: my friends, family and sponsors. I am sponsored by Ozone, Pays des Ecrins, Aphex, Naviter and Nomen’k (organic cereal bars). I’d like to say a special thanks to Julian Garcia, my coach at the Pôle Espoir.

As a student, it must be difficult to find the time and the resources to attend these international competitions?

As a student in France with ‘SHN’ [high-level sports] status, I get help with accommodation and I’m allowed to take the necessary time away from my studies to compete. I can even move exam dates and change work groups to fit around competition dates. SHN students are offered additional tutorials to help us catch up on missed lessons if necessary – it’s very flexible and very supportive. It makes it possible for up-and-coming sportspeople to pursue their chosen sport at a high level without having to sacrifice their studies.

You’ve already reached the pinnacle of paragliding competition. Will you carry on competing, or are there other paragliding projects up your sleeve?

I don’t have any plans to stop competing! I have my sights set on climbing the overall rankings if possible, and of course I’d like to try to break some records and have paragliding adventures around the world.

Do you have any advice for women who are thinking of geting into competitions?

This applies to all pilots, not just women, but I would say the most important thing is to enjoy it: enjoy the flying and the experience, and just try to make goal every day. Initially your goals should be to do with making good decisions and flying well, rather than results-based goals.

Paragliding World Championships 2019 TASK BY TASK

Task 1, 81.5km

Blue skies and sunshine, with 138 in goal. The course mixed mountains and flats in a very fast race. A mere 20 points separated the top 50 pilots at the end. France kicked off in style with Honorin Hamard winning overall and Méryl Delferrière first woman.

Task 2, 89.1km

The task objective was to split the gaggle and took pilots into the mountains then the flats. Many bombed at TP1, but out in the flats there was lift everywhere. Sink claimed 15 pilots just before end-of-speed section, but 89 made goal. Tilen Ceglar and Méryl were day winners. Avg speed? 37km/h.

Task 3, 83.6km

Cloudy skies. Pilots headed into the mountains then headed south on a long leg. Two gaggles soon became one huge swarm, as pilots enjoyed flying high in the plains. Shade at the end slowed things down, with race leader Hono Hamard drifting in zeroes for 3km in the wrong direction before making goal. 123 made it in. Hono and Méryl won the day.

Task 4, 112.3km

A beautiful day, zig-zagging south with a mix of flats and mountains with a lot of blue. Pilots picked their way south in smooth, strong thermals. 124 made goal, with Julien Wirtz (FR) and Keiko Hiraki (JP) day winners.

Task 5, 98.9km

A totally blue day, with a bit more wind. Downwind day! Difficult and tactical as the gaggle split up and criss-crossed the plains or headed into the mountains for a longer but faster route. Tilen Ceglar and Honorin Hamard shared joint first. Méryl was first woman.

Task 6, 130.2km

A hard, blue, windy day! And the longest task, which turned into a marathon. As the day got hotter, pilots got lower and conditions got rougher. The flats worked out better than the mountains, but everyone ran out of time. Petra Slivova (CZ) flew furthest on her EN-D Gin Leopard and won the day; also first woman.

Task 7, 98.2km

Another blue day, another 100k in the plains, with a side portion of mountains. Final glide was the crux. A low NE wind decked lots short of goal, mixing up the Top 10 and race leaders. Yoshiaki Hirokawa (JP) won the day, Marcella Uchoa (BR) was first woman.

Task 8, 65.4km

Heavy cloud cover saw a concentric-circle task set in the plains, to avoid overdevelopment in the mountains. The task saw pilots approach the concentric turnpoints from multiple directions, creating an interesting and clever task. Ferdinand Vogel (GER) and Méryl won the day.

Task 9, 91.9km

Overcast skies got better and base lifted, although the day was deemed “Too low, too slow” by pilots. Weak thermals saw pilots grovelling. Marco Busetta (IT) took a different line and did that magic thing – beat the gaggle by miles. Crushed it! 99 pilots made goal. Keiko Hiraki was first woman.

Task 10, 96.1km

The nail-biting final day! A north wind saw pilots fly almost to the border with Greece. Bogdan Bialka (IE) became the first Irish pilot to ever win a Worlds task, and Méryl was again first woman. But it was Joachim Oberhauser (IT) who was happiest in goal – new FAI Paragliding World Champion.