Top positions take shape on Day 3 of 48th WMC Parachuting
BOĽKOVCE–LUČENEC (SVK) – Competition continued on Tuesday, 18 August, at the 48th CISM World Military Parachuting Championship in Slovakia, with the third day of action bringing further progress across accuracy landing, style and formation skydiving at Boľkovce Airport near Lučenec.
With 350 participants representing 32 nations, the championship continues to showcase the precision, concentration and teamwork of some of the world's leading military parachutists.
While several classifications evolved significantly during the day, others remained unchanged as the different events continued to progress at their own pace.
Men's accuracy competition tightens after three rounds
The men's individual accuracy competition now has three completed rounds, with the battle at the top remaining exceptionally close.
Ferenc Horváth of Hungary and Mathieu Guinde of France share the provisional lead with an outstanding total of just one centimetre each after three rounds.
They are followed by a group of four athletes on two centimetres: Italy's Pierfrancesco Vanni, Slovenia's Matej Bečan, and Qatar's Abdulaziz Ahmed and Saleh Al Abidi.
The close margins are also reflected in the men's team competition. Italy and Germany share first place with 14 centimetres, only one centimetre ahead of Slovenia on 15, while Hungary follows closely with 16. France currently occupies fifth position with 19.
In the junior men's accuracy competition, Germany's Mathias Demmler leads after three rounds with three centimetres. Austria's Michael Urban follows on four, while Germany's Elias Kammer is third with six.
Women's accuracy standings remain unchanged
While the men's accuracy competition moved forward, the women's classifications remained unchanged from the previous day.
Poland's Monika Bekhit continues to lead the individual standings with two centimetres after two rounds, followed by Yue Li of China and Maud Serve of France, who are tied on three centimetres.
In the women's team competition, Poland remains provisionally first with 32 centimetres, ahead of Italy with 42 and China with 49.
The junior women's classification is similarly unchanged, with Germany's Zoe Stoll leading on 18 centimetres, ahead of Austria's Zoe Janko on 27 and Algeria's Kaouter Abeddaim on 32.
Belgium and USA separated by just three points in formation skydiving
The men's formation skydiving competition produced one of the closest battles of Day 3.
After five rounds, Belgium leads with 181 points, just three points ahead of the United States on 178. Both teams have completed five rounds, with Belgium recording scores of 38, 33, 34, 41 and 35 and the United States responding with 35, 33, 35, 43 and 32.
Behind them, several teams have completed fewer rounds, meaning the overall classification remains provisional. Türkiye currently has 120 points after four rounds, followed by Germany with 116, the Czech Republic with 104 and Spain with 103.
In the women's competition, the Republic of Korea strengthened its provisional lead after adding 21 points in Round 4, taking its total to 75 points. Brazil remains second with 61 after four rounds, while Spain is third with 28. Italy remains on four points after two completed rounds.
Style competition adds another dimension to Day 3
The style competition also featured prominently in the latest standings.
Germany currently occupies the first three positions in the men's style competition after the opening round, with Robin Griesheimer leading on 5.98 seconds, ahead of teammates Elischa Weber (6.11) and Stefan Wiesner (6.24). Italy's Fabrizio Mangia follows in fourth, with France's Mathieu Guinde fifth.
In the women's style competition, among the athletes who have completed three rounds, France's Léocadie Ollivier De Pury leads with a combined time of 20.95 seconds. China's Yue Li follows on 25.18, with Germany's Zoe Stoll on 25.78.
The junior categories also feature strong performances. Austria's Michael Urban leads the junior men's style standings after one round with 6.74 seconds, narrowly ahead of Germany's Elias Kammer on 6.76. In junior women's style, Zoe Stoll has completed three rounds for a total of 25.78 seconds, while Zoe Janko currently has two recorded rounds.
Competition continues in Lučenec
With the different disciplines progressing at varying rates, all standings remain provisional, and direct comparisons must take into account the number of rounds completed by each athlete or team.
Nevertheless, Day 3 provided another intense programme of competition, with extremely narrow margins emerging in men's accuracy and an exciting head-to-head contest developing between Belgium and the United States in men's formation skydiving.
Further rounds are scheduled throughout the week as the athletes continue their pursuit of the 2026 CISM World Military Championship titles.
The 48th CISM World Military Parachuting Championship continues in Slovakia until 23 August 2026, bringing together the international military parachuting community under CISM's motto, "Friendship through Sport."
(Source: CISM Media & Communication Department – Pictures: Carsten Thiel)
