Winners of the 2024 Skydive World Cup Series in Thalgau, Austria
From 23-25 August, the 2024 Skydive World Cup Series made its 14th stop in Thalgau, Austria. In front of a crowd of enthusiastic spectators, athletes from around the globe showcased what it means to land precisely on a target from about a thousand metres above, with a landing zone barely larger than a ten-cent coin.
At the only Austrian stop of the international World Cup series, 195 athletes from 23 nations competed in parachuting accuracy landing, battling for every centimetre in a thrilling competition. Salzburg's airspace was bustling with activity as the world's best parachutists turned the skies over Thalgau into an impressive flight arena.
However, the real spectacle took place on the ground, at the landing approach: the 39 teams, each consisting of five jumpers, had to hit a target the size of a ten-cent coin after jumping from a height of 1,000 metres. The team or individual with the fewest centimetres of deviation from this tiny marker was awarded the victory and valuable World Cup points.
The weather played along perfectly, presenting Thalgau to the international athletes and spectators in its bright, summery glory. On Friday, three full rounds and part of the fourth were completed, with the competition continuing until halfway through the eighth and final round on Saturday. The final round was completed on Sunday morning, allowing all eight planned jumps to be finished.
It was the Czech team who dominated proceedings, winning the team overall in both male and female categories, raised to the top of the podium by strong individual performances: Oldřich Šorf gained the male champion title with his team-mate Michaela Mynarova also sailing to the top of the podium among the females.
Aside from the Czech champions, Germany’s Thomas Schneider took gold among the masters, and junior Michael Urban from host team HSV Red Bull Salzburg secured victory in his category on home soil, reaping the rewards of the enthusiastic local support. The 22-year-old from Innsbruck delivered extremely strong jumps, successfully defending his title from last year with a total deviation of only 12 cm. He also gained a remarkable 15th place in the men's competition.
"I was very nervous before the competition because I really wanted to defend my title. Saturday's conditions were very challenging, with lots of thermals and little wind, which requires a lot of experience that I naturally don't have yet. But overall, it went really well. The team was really important, we always cheered each other up if someone had a bad jump, and that motivation made a huge difference," said the the newly crowned World Cup winner.
The final stop of the World Cup series will take place from September 20th to 22nd in Locarno, Switzerland.
Image credit: @Lauxfoto_Manfred Laux
