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Did You Know...

... that the next double-gold opportunity is still coming up soon?

Golden Knights in Brazil 1987
image by: Norman Kent for USPA Parachutist
posted Jul 12th, 2022 - The pursuit of winning gold medals at FAI World Championships of Formation Skydiving in 4-way and 8-way both has been an ongoing topic for the NSL News since French national coach Mathieu Bernier mastered this special challenge in Menzelinsk 2010. He is still the only FS competitor in the history of the sport since 1985 with gold medals in both disciplines at the same event.

There were earlier attempts with the same goal, which all failed, sometimes just by a hair, other times without a chance. The attempts began very early, the first one at the second world meet after the introduction of the new format in 1985. The Golden Knights won 8-way gold, and team captain Andy Gerber took a 4-way lineup of the 8-way team to the 2nd place, six points behind the TAG Team 4-way experts from France.

Arizona Airspeed's original lineup of 1995 had only the main goal to take the 4-way top spot from France, which they did after the merger of the best east coast and west coast 4-way competitors. The Golden Knights took care only of the 8-way event.

Craig Girard eventually changed Arizona Airspeed when he moved to Eloy and started to build a strong 8-way team, with the most solid foundation of the original 4-way lineup. Airspeed's double-gold attempt in 1999, with the complete 4-way lineup in the 8-way team, came just as close as the Golden Knights in 1987 by winning in 8-way and finishing in 2nd place in 4-way, six points behind France.


Pre-Nationals 2022: Expanded, Extended and Open for all Teams

FAI World Meet 1987
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total Avg
Rank 4-way Open TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD Total Avg
1 TAG Team  FR  13 13 14 16 13 14 14 13 12 12 134 13.4
2 Golden Knights  US  13 10 11 16 12 14 14 12 13 13 128 12.8
3 Amadeus  AT  12 11 11 15 11 11 13 12 11 11 118 11.8
Rank 8-way Open TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBDTBD Total Avg
1 Golden Knights  US  16 11 10 13 13 14 14 15 13- 119 13.2
2 France  FR  14 10 10 12 13 13 16 15 14- 117 13.0
3 Russia  RU  13 9 9 10 12 13 14 14 11- 105 11.7

Arizona Airspeed 8 in Spain 2001
image by: Omniskore
It was even closer two years later in Spain 2001. Airspeed's new 4-way lineup (Airspeed Vertical: Craig Girard, John Eagle, Neal Houston, Mark Kirkby, Mark Steinbaugh on camera) won gold by two points over France and lost the 8-way battle by one point to Russia.

Then it was the French turn in Maubeuge 2008. Jeremie Rollett, Julien Degen, Mathieu and Guillaume Bernier were a part of the French 8-way team and won gold by 11 points over the U.S. pickup team on home turf. Airspeed Odyssey (Eliana Rodriguez, Craig Girard, Andy Delk and Mark Kirkby, with Steve Nowak on camera) held off the French 4-way team by one point to keep them from winning double-gold.

However, the same 4-way lineups of Airspeed and France were back two years later in Menzelinsk 2010, and only Mathieu Bernier competed again in 8-way, as well. He won 4-way gold with the same lineup by three points over Airspeed Odyssey, and he finished seven points ahead of the Golden Knights in 8-way.

Nobody has tried the same combination again ever since. The performance level in both events increased significantly with indoor training, and it seems as if it has become impossible to train enough in both events to win two gold medals at the same world championship.


FAI World Meet 2001
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total Avg
Rank 4-way Open 8,19,24 A,L,22,H E,10,D,11 21,6,4 B,18,C,14 G,5,20 2,1,16 M,K,12,9 15,23,P O,17,Q,N Total Avg
1 Arizona Airspeed  US  19 25 21 19 20 20 20 23 17 30 214 21.4
2 Maubeuge  FR  19 20 20 18 21 21 19 23 20 31 212 21.2
3 DeLand Norgies  NO  19 22 20 18 19 19 19 21 18 31 206 20.6
Rank 8-way Open 16,P,13 1,Q,O,5 B,K,6,8 15,9,19 21,12,20 L,7,G,H J,F,M,C,22 3,18,17 E,11,A,14 4,D,2 Total Avg
1 Russia  RU  19 15 18 17 17 21 22 22 19 23 193 19.3
2 Arizona Airspeed  US  19 17 17 17 19 23 21 21 19 19 192 19.2
3 France  FR  16 17 16 15 19 20 20 18 18 20 179 17.9

France 4-way Women in Tanay 2021
However, Mathieu Bernier, still the only double-gold winner in Formation Skydiving history and now French national coach, tried a different approach with a different combination. He had two world champions in 4-way Women (Sophia Pecout, Christine Malnis) available who had continued with a new strong lineup after winning gold in Australia 2018.

The Aerodyne Weembi Girls were so far ahead of any competition in 4-way Women that they should be able to handle the combination of 4-way and 8-way for the new double-gold combination at the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020. The NSL News covered the French strategy for the new double-gold attempt comprehensively, which concluded with two silver medals for France.

Currently the turn is back with the U.S. delegation, and the situation is similar as it was at the last outdoor world meet in 2021. XP8, with five reigning 8-way world champions (John D'Annunzio, Kirk Verner, Brian Krause, Jeana Billings, Michelle Karamon, and Elliot Byrd still on 8-way camera), plus Craig Girard, Matt Davidson and Andrew Happick, are at least as strong as last year. There is no 8-way team in sight that might be able to stop XP8 from winning the next gold medals.

XP8 members Jeana Billings and Michelle Karamon are in a very similar situation as Sophia Pecout and Christine Malnis were after Australia 2018, only the other way around. They seem to have the 8-way gold medals in their pockets, and they could add 4-way Women gold to accomplish what the French delegation missed in Tanay. It's the next pursuit of double-gold coming up in October.


FAI Outdoor World Meet 2021
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total Avg
Rank 4-way Women O,19,Q,5 17,B,E,P H,15,12 M,N,7,F K,L,C,4 J,18,16 - Total Avg
1 Bubbles  RU  21 -1 33 -3 18 -1 33 -3 27    18    -  150 25.0
2 Aerodyne Maubeuge  FR  24    27 -4 18    34    24 -2 21   -  148 24.7
3 No Mercy  PL  15    20 -1 11 -1 20 -2 16    11   -  93 15.5
Rank 8-way Open O,19,Q,5 17,B,E,P H,15,12 M,N,7,F K,L,C,4 J,18,16 1,9,A Total Avg
1 Airspeed XP8  US  20    23    22 -1 23    31 -1 23    24     166 23.7
2 France National 8-way  FR  20    23    25    24    26 -1 25 -1 22 -1  165 23.6
3 Tanay 8  RU  18    21 -1 20    23    26    23    22     153 21.9

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