Final jumps decide World Titles on the last day of the 47th WMC Parachuting
DOHA (QAT) – The 47th CISM World Military Parachuting Championship, held from 13 to 23 November and bringing together 236 athletes from 28 nations, concluded on 22 November with the final jumps and a closing ceremony attended by Colonel Nilton Gomes Rolim Filho, President of CISM, and Alberto Martin Paracuellos, President of the FAI Skydiving Commission. After several days dominated by the Shamal, the wind eased only briefly on the last morning, enough to allow the completion of the fifth round of Formation Skydiving. By 10:00, however, gusts exceeded 11 m/s once again, making further Accuracy Landing impossible. As no additional Accuracy rounds could be conducted, several podium positions remained tied and some titles were therefore shared, a situation that quietly reflected the difficult balance between competitive integrity and the constraints imposed by the weather.
The men’s Individual Accuracy Landing delivered one of the most dramatic outcomes of the championship. Qatar’s Khalid Shajea and Germany’s Robin Griesheimer both finished with a total of five centimetres, earning joint world titles. With no possibility to continue the event, the rankings were confirmed using the FAI tie-break system based on the number of low scores, which underlined just how fine the margins were at the top. The battle for bronze was equally close, with Qatar’s Mohammed Al Marri and Slovenia’s Matej Bečan finishing level and sharing the third step of the podium. Czech Republic’s Miloslav Kříž, who matched the same overall total, was placed fifth once the tie-break was applied, illustrating how a single additional millimetre can decide a medal at this level.
In the junior men’s Accuracy Landing, Austria’s Michael Urban secured the world title with eight centimetres, followed by Germany’s Elias Kammer with ten and Austria’s Joachim Knauss with twelve. France’s Aldéric Vastel and Germany’s Magnus Ostler completed the top positions. Speaking after his victory, Urban said: “Winning my first CISM Junior Accuracy gold here in Qatar is a very special moment for me. Taking the Junior Style and Accuracy Landing Overall gold as well is something I’m proud of, especially because the conditions were challenging at times with strong winds and long stand-by phases. Still, the event was excellently organised and we had solid conditions overall.”
The combined Style and Accuracy Landing overall standings were then confirmed. In the men’s category, Germany’s Robin Griesheimer won the world title with two points. After securing gold in Style earlier in the week, he said: “This victory proved to me that all the training finally pays off. When I started to become a professional skydiver, my main target was to become world champion in Style. It took me seven years in this sport, and I have finally reached my goal. That makes me feel proud of myself.” Czech Republic’s Oldřich Šorf placed second with six points, while Czech Republic’s Petr Chládek finished third with eight. France’s Mathieu Guinde and Austria’s Michael Urban completed the top five.
In the junior overall category, Urban and Germany’s Kammer finished level on three points each. The title again came down to the details, with Urban taking gold thanks to a better Accuracy Landing result. Austria’s Joachim Knauss secured third place with seven points, followed by France’s Aldéric Vastel and Germany’s Magnus Ostler.
Formation Skydiving concluded earlier in the day. In the women’s category, the Republic of Korea won the world title with 144 points, followed by Morocco with 116 and Brazil with 74. France placed fourth with 49. In the men’s category, Belgium delivered one of the most balanced performances of the championship to secure gold with 158 points. Germany followed with 127 and Türkiye placed third with 126 after a close and highly technical event. Spain, Czech Republic, Brazil and the Republic of Korea completed the standings.
Team Accuracy Landing also reached its conclusion. In the women’s event, China won the world title with 66 centimetres ahead of France with 84 and the Republic of Korea with 112. Morocco, Brazil and Algeria followed. In the men’s category, Qatar earned a celebrated home victory with a total of 25 centimetres. Czech Republic finished on the same overall total but placed second after the review of individual round results, where Qatar held a crucial one-centimetre advantage in Round 5, a detail that ultimately decided the title at the green table. Switzerland took bronze with 26, followed by Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Slovenia.
The overall team standings brought the championship to its final conclusion. In the women’s category, the Republic of Korea secured the world title with six points, ahead of China with eight and France with nine. Brazil and Morocco followed with twelve. In the men’s category, Germany claimed the world title with seven points, demonstrating exceptional balance across Accuracy, Style and Formation Skydiving. Czech Republic followed with nine, and Austria completed the podium with twenty-one, ahead of Spain, Italy, Brazil and the Republic of Korea.
The closing ceremony gathered all delegations, judges and officials, celebrating a championship marked by demanding conditions, high technical standards and strong international camaraderie. In his address, Colonel Nilton Gomes Rolim Filho stated: “Throughout this championship, the athletes have demonstrated remarkable discipline, courage and professionalism. The level of performance we observed in Doha confirms the strength of military parachuting worldwide. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Qatar Air Sports Committee, the Qatar Armed Forces and all members of the organising team for their exceptional work and hospitality. Their dedication ensured the success of this world championship and reflects the spirit of Friendship through Sport that defines CISM.”
Alberto Martin Paracuellos also expressed his appreciation to the organisers and competitors, highlighting the quality of the event and the strong cooperation between CISM and the FAI, noting that the partnership continues to strengthen the global development of military parachuting.
The next edition of the CISM World Military Parachuting Championship will take place in Lucenec, Slovakia, in August 2026.
Full results and live updates remain available at: https://results.worldskydiving.org/competitions/results/782
(Source: CISM Media & Communication Department - FAI Aisports / Pictures: Carsten Thiel)
