(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Hosts set national record; Russia France early medallists in skydiving
Dubai: The first edition of the X-Dubai Flyboard World Cup started alongside the ongoing Dh1.5-million Fifth Dubai International Parachuting Championship (DIPC) at Skydive Dubai on The Palm on Thursday.
The competition with a total of $30000 prize money is being organised by X-Dubai in three separate categories: amateurs and professionals for men and women.
So far the organisers have received nearly 80 participants confirming for the three-day championships. After the preliminary rounds on Thursday the field will be trimmed down to the best 32 riders who will be engaged in a knock-out competition today followed by the finals tomorrow.
Javad Khoramifar marketing director X-Dubai said: “This gives us reason to be hopeful that Flyboard has a bright future as one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.
“This competition is a start for us and we are hopeful we can continue drawing the attention of the people especially those attending the Parachuting Championship.”
Led by Franky Zapata flyboard inventor and CEO of Zapata Racing the X-Dubai team has been demonstrating the finer elements of the new sport to visitors at the Sky Dubai site every day on the sidelines of the DIPC. “The initial response has been good and we can see the enthusiasm with which the general public has been drawn to our sport. People have come up to us and told us how they have felt to see such innovations coming to Dubai” Khoramifar remarked.
Meanwhile Russia and France were among the early medallists while the UAE squad set a new national record as the DIPC completed its fifth day of competition at the Skydive Dubai drop zone.
Russia picked up the gold medal in the Artistic Event Freefly competition with a total of 61.4 points while France took the overall honours in the Canopy Formation 2-way sequential competition to square off honours.
The hosts too picked up their first silver medal of this edition after the team finished behind Russia in the Artistic Event Freefly leaving France to take the bronze medal.
After the eighth and final round of the Canopy Formation 2-way Sequential it was France at the top of the standings with 189 points for an average of 27 followed by the USA in second with a total of 168 and an average of 24. Russia edged out France for the bronze with a total of 165 points.
Competition was also completed in the Individual Speed Skydiving final and it was Christian Labhart of Switzerland outlasting the rest of the field to take the gold medal ahead of Moritz Friess of Germany and Russia’s Dmitry Gmyzin.
The UAE also witnessed the setting of a new national record when its team achieved a new mark of 23 points in the Formation Skydiving 8-way competition.
In this contest the eight participants have a time frame of 50 seconds to make as many formations in the air. The current world record in this category is 31 points.
Late on Wednesday the event witnessed the start of the Canopy Piloting competition in five different categories.
Now in its fifth year the annual DIPC is hosting competitions in 12 different categories for men women and juniors with participation from more than 1000 jumpers representing 42 countries.
monikhaleejtimes.com
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