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"World Cup Serbia 2021 ::: Kopaonik"
Summary written by Ruth Jessop
With forecasts of strong winds and no thermals, today was very nearly cancelled by whatsapp from the Meet Director’s bedside. However, this is the Paragliding World Cup and anything is possible.
A 59.5 km task west was set, which even those who had set it scoffed at.
A cross wind with weak thermals in the first half of the task made it a day where patience prevailed.
After the first and only turnpoint, at Novi Pazar, and with a delicious smell of Serbian Sarma in the thermals, the flying became a bit easier, and faster, with speeds of 70+ km being recorded.
French team coach Julien Garcia, who had been quite conservative in the main valley heading to the first turn point, decided to put the foot down and move up a gear. From then on, the course, and the wind direction, changed pace.
Julien and Baptiste Lambert escaped with the team coach learning from this paragliding prodigy, who, in Julien’s words was ‘crazy good today.’
The last tricky part was to gain sufficient height to cross the plateau. The scores tell the rest of the story.
One of the most human endeavours of the day was Baptiste shouting ‘Cou cou Papa!’ on final glide as he and Cyril arrived in goal within 15 seconds of each other.
Well done to Julien for a textbook task win and to the other 21 pilots, and their fathers who made goal today.
The first 22 pilots made goal, and thus all flew the same distance, and gained the same distance points. Today’s winner is therefore the one with a combination of the best speed points and lead out points.
The top 3 speed point winners – the fastest pilots round the course were:
2:13:17 Julien GARCIA flying at an average speed of 21.9 km/h
2:13:25 François CORMIER
2:13:26 Nicolas DINH
Top 3 lead out point baggers – those who were in the lead the most:
115.2 Julien GARCIA
110.6 Baptiste LAMBERT
96.3 Julien WIRTZ and Honorin HAMARD
Top 3 overall
1st Julien GARCIA
2nd Julien WIRTZ
3rd Baptiste LAMBERT
Top 3 ladies
1st Marcella UCHOA
2nd Meryl DELFERRIERE
3rd Constance METTETAL
Top 3 teams
1st = Ozone
1st = Parastick
3rd Kortel Design
Best newcomer: Darko STANKOVSKI
