posted Mar 10th, 2012 - The story of the Russian history in Formation Skydiving competition continues with more details of the 8way drama in 2001 that actually began in 1999, as the NSL News mentioned on 6 March 2012.

Russia did not win the first 8way gold medals in Australia 1999 but sent a very strong message to the USA. Oleg Shalamykhin said that the 1999 event had become even more meaningful to his team since Sun Path owner Derek Thomas had just decided to sponsor the team with equipment after following the Russian progression for a while.

The Russian 8way team was fully prepared and ready to charge for the gold medals in 1999. Arizona Airspeed was trying to win gold medals in 4way and 8way with the same lineup for the first time at this event, which added drama and excitement to the loaded atmosphere. Even a US TV station was in Australia to cover the double gold challenge.

It wasn't the Russian 8way team that was in Airspeed's way in 1999. The French 4way team, with Marin Ferre in the lineup, beat the original Airspeed lineup by six points. Airspeed's 8way lineup won by two points over Russia.

Airspeed's double gold challenge did not mean much for the Russian 8way team who just wanted to win the first set of gold medals, and the team was more than ready. Oleg Shalamykhin remembered that his team was not happy with the final outcome. Russia had actually outscored Airspeed by six points (219 - 213) within working time. The judges did not like the Russian performance and deducted ten points after five infringements, while Airspeed lost only two points.

The Russian team was disappointed, and project leader Alexander Beloglazov even hung his silver medal backwards in protest. The Russian 8way team of 1999, including the four Sky Panthers Barkli and Black Cat competitors in DeLand next week (Vladimir Pavlenko, Oleg Shalamykhin, Vasily Korotkov, Alexey Minaev), remember this competition in a special way: "We did not win silver medals - We lost the gold medals..."

The USA - Russia 8way battle at the World Meet 1999 in Australia was still nothing compared to the upcoming drama, first in Spain 2001 and then in France 2003.

There was additional internal drama within the Russian 8way project that separated the team after the lost gold medals in Australia. Oleg Shalamykhin was one of the leaving team members, together with Oleg and Vladimir Pavlenko, while Alexander Beloglazov invited new talented skydivers to fill the slots: Nicholai Vylegzhanin, Eugene Staschenko, Vladimir Arutyunov, Sergey Yalpaev.

At the same time, a new generation of Russian skydivers had come into the sport in a completely different way. Successful businessmen and women like Mikhail Kuznetsov, Igor Sitnikov, Leonid Kazinets, Larisa Sverdlenko, Vladimir Akopov and others had spent their lives and energy with education and business careers and were of similar age. The members of Alexander Beloglazov's "Central Sport Parachute Club Airborne Troops" project in Ryazan had become world class competitors while the new skydiving business people had the resources to hire coaches and learn quickly. Both groups joined forces and launched more promising team projects.

The leaving 8way members turned to 4way where the new generation of Russian competitors could learn quicker and more efficiently. Vladimir Pavlenko signed a contract with Igor Sitnikov who had Victor Gorbunkov in his lineup, too. Oleg Pavlenko became a coach for a Czech team, and Oleg Shalamykhin did not really have a plan yet.

He was still very close friends with Sergei Shenin, another project member who had left the Ryazan project in 1994 and who would eventually become a Sky Panthers Barkli member, as well. However it would still take a few more years until they ended up in the same lineup. Oleg Shalamykhin eventually accepted a 4way player coach position offered by Vladimir Akopov who founded Exstreme.RU later and posted the 44-pointer world record for a single round at the Malevsky Cup 2006, tied with Black Cat.

Oleg Shalamykhin's next step was Igor Sitnikov's 4way team, where he was back together with former project members Vladimir Pavlenko and Victor Gorbunkov. In the meantime, the project's new 8way lineup enjoyed the financial support by Anton Malevsky and was preparing the next charge for gold medals at the World Meet 2001 in Spain. The NSL News will follow up with the dramatic events in Spain very soon.