Skydivers push to the limit as weather closes in on the 47th WMC Parachuting in Doha

 

 

DOHA (QAT) – The first four days of the 47th CISM World Military Parachuting Championship have delivered an intense and highly technical start, marked by excellent early conditions, fierce competition, and the first medals in Accuracy and Style before the arrival of the Shamal forced operations to pause. From 15 to 18 November, the world’s best military skydivers demonstrated exceptional precision, speed and control across the opening rounds of Accuracy Landing, Style, and Formation Skydiving.

 

The championship opened on 15 November with excellent visibility, low turbulence and steady thermals, allowing organizers to launch multiple rounds of Accuracy Landing and Style. With a strong Shamal expected later in the week, the tactical decision was made to push forward the Accuracy programme early. In military parachuting, timing against the weather can be as decisive as technique, and the first days validated that strategy perfectly.

 

The Shamal, a powerful north-to-south wind channelled through the Persian Gulf, is known for its sudden gusts, sand-laden air and rapid temperature drops. It disrupts landing approaches, affects canopy inflation, and reduces visual references needed for Style rotations. Anticipating its arrival, teams took full advantage of the calm early days to secure their strongest possible positions.

 

 

Accuracy Landing quickly revealed extremely high standards. On the men’s side, Qatar’s Khalid Shajea and Germany’s Robin Griesheimer tied at the top with totals of 5 cm, both showing exceptional landing discipline and feather-soft final flares. They are closely followed by athletes from Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia and the UAE, forming a group of nine competitors all within podium margins with one round still pending.

 

In the women’s individual event, the first medals of the championship were already awarded before the weather shut down operations. China’s Miao Ying won gold with remarkable consistency, delivering soft, symmetrical approaches under pressure. France’s Leocadie Ollivier De Pury secured silver with a beautifully controlled R3, while China claimed another podium with Li Jianhong in bronze.

 

The junior divisions confirmed the emergence of a new generation of precision experts. France’s Loïs Baal dominated Junior Female Accuracy, her stable final approaches allowing her to outpace Germany’s Natalie Henzler and Zoe Stoll. In Junior Male Accuracy, still with one round to complete, Michael Urban (AUT), Elias Kammer (GER) and Joachim Knauss (AUT) again currently occupy the podium positions, all within striking distance of one another.

 

 

Team Accuracy Landing also produced early results. In the women’s event, with two rounds left, China took the lead with a strong collective total of 66 cm, demonstrating the depth of their lineup. France followed in second place with 84 cm. Korea completed the podium with 112 cm after a consistent performance. Morocco, Brazil and Algeria follow in the standings, with large point spreads reflecting the challenge of maintaining uniformity across all team members.

 

The men’s team competition is also underway (3 rounds left), with Qatar, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Germany all performing strongly. Qatar and the Czech Republic currently share the lead with identical totals, a rare occurrence that underscores the extreme precision at this year’s event.

 

The Style competitions brought further excitement. In the men’s category, Germany delivered an extraordinary show of technical excellence, currently occupying the top two provisional positions after three rounds. Robin Griesheimer leads with 18.94 points after producing an exceptionally clean and rapid sequence of rotations with minimal drift. His teammate Elischa Weber follows closely with 19.17. Czech athlete Oldřich Šorf and France’s Mathieu Guinde remain in contention, showing the density and refinement of the top performers. With two rounds still to complete, the final podium remains open.

 

 

The women’s Style competition is being led by France’s Leocadie Ollivier De Pury, who is confirming her status as one of the most complete athletes of the championship. Her early rounds combined clean transitions with excellent altitude management, keeping her just ahead of China’s Yue Li and Germany’s Natalie Henzler. Further down the top ten, Korean, Brazilian and French parachuters remain in play for potential movement once the final round resumes.

 

Junior Style competitions are progressing with similar intensity. In Junior Female Style, Germany currently holds the top two provisional positions thanks to Natalie Henzler and Zoe Stoll, with France’s Loïs Baal in third. In Junior Male Style, Elias Kammer from Germany, Michael Urban from Austria and Magnus Ostler from Germany again sit in provisional podium positions, but with three rounds still missing, this is likely to be one of the most dynamic rankings once flying resumes.

 

Formation Skydiving teams also seized the calm weather before the Shamal. With six rounds left, Korea’s female team has taken a strong early lead through tight formations and crisp block transitions, followed by Morocco and Brazil. In the male category, Belgium has emerged as a strong provisional leader thanks to speed, consistency and nearly flawless builds. Türkiye and Kuwait currently follow, ranking second and third with five rounds left.

 

 

On 18 November, the competition came to a full stop as the Shamal arrived. The strong winds carried sand across the drop zone, drastically reducing visibility and making safe and fair competition impossible. For Accuracy Landing in particular, where single-centimeter deviations can determine medals, such conditions would introduce unacceptable randomness. With poor weather predicted for the following day, teams will monitor conditions and resume only when safety and fairness can be guaranteed.

 

Competitions were also cancelled today, November 19, as the Shamal continued to affect visibility, safety and landing conditions across all disciplines. The organizers maintained a strict safety-first approach, prioritizing fair and equal conditions for all athletes.

 

Despite these challenges, the organization of the championship has been widely praised. The Qatar Air Sports Committee, the Qatar Armed Forces, and the Qatar delegation to CISM have demonstrated exceptional professionalism, readiness and hospitality. Their ability to anticipate the weather window, maintain operational efficiency, and provide outstanding support to teams has been acknowledged by athletes, judges and officials alike. The quality of infrastructure, logistics and competition management continues to reflect Qatar’s strong commitment to delivering world-class military sports events.

 

 

Despite this interruption, the first four days offered a deep look into the exceptional standard of this year’s championship. The athletes have displayed remarkable composure, technical precision and tactical intelligence, and several categories remain extremely open. Doha continues to offer a complex and demanding environment, where strategy, experience and adaptability weigh as heavily as pure performance.

 

Full results and live updates remain available at: https://results.worldskydiving.org/competitions/results/782

 

(Source: CISM Media & Communication Department - Pictures: Carsten Thiel)