Conditions changed here on the Palm by the time the 4-way begin the semi final, late yesterday. There was a wind hold at the middle of the day for 2 hours, the wind is now less but still strong, gusty and turbulent. The teams have been used to near-perfect conditions so their challenge is to remain perfectly focussed and not be affected internally by external changes. They have cut the open teams down to the top six (plus the host nation).
##Female 4-way
Round 9, is 21, K, G, Q – three randoms and a block, could be high scoring but it’s not an easy jump. Canada female put down a solid 14.. France female blast through a 25 .. US ladies are back on the line, they also ramp though a solid 25 points, thus keeping a 4-point lead to go into the final round the next day.
Morning arrives, the last round, 11, 20, 3… GK4 put a 17 on the board, the French ladies outscore them by one point but it’s not enough to take the gold. So the Golden Knights female 4-way take their third gold in three months in a major international competition – first at the World Indoor Skydiving Championships, next at Clash of Champions and now at the World Air Games. Congratulations ladies, well deserved, and an impressive 22.7 average. We must also congratulate the French, who closed the gap from over 40 points to just 3. In third were Canada with a 17.1 average, then UK with 16.5, followed by Russia and UAE.
##Open 4-way
Round (, semi final… France have a solid dive scoring 22, three points less than their female counterparts but who’s counting?! One wonders how Lawrence feels, a super talented flyer who left the female team to join the boys, only to find her own team outscoring her! Airspeed, back on top form, have a great skydive with smooth 21s, clean precise randoms, and finish on 30 – sweet! “Yeah, I’ll take that one”said Chris, happy with the jump but knowing the only way they have a chance is if Hayabusa screw up, as they are 5 points ahead right now.. it’s a good round from Hayabusa but with a tiny fumble that costs them points on such a fast skydive.. they finish on 27 – cutting their lead down to 2 points going into the final on Saturday, the last day of the comp
“Keeping it exciting” said the Belgie boys as they again come over to the Americans and hi-five their worthy opponents. The last round is 11, 20, 3… and the jump-off round, in case we need it is J, 8, 10.
##The final
Airspeed land “It was a good jump” said Chris, “but probably not good enough for a jump-off”… It’s a slow round so unlikely to pull back 2 points against a pro team like Hayabusa… People are flocking to the screens from all corners of the dropzone, it looks like someone set off the fire alarm! Now for the judging of the last 7 teams … Canada look like they are playing it safe and score a clean 16… Russia crank it up with an 19… Airspeed next … it’s a great jump, the clock stops at 20 .. so if Hayabusa do an 18, less than the Russians, there will be a jump-off.. we know it’s unlikely but so was yesterday’s jump where GK4 outscored the French ladies by 9 points! Airspeed and Hayabusa are standing side by side watching this last round… Hayabusa are up, they look fast and precise… the points mount up, 16, 17, 18, 19.. it’s all over and the shouts go up even before the clock stops at 22 points.
Hayabusa has won the World Air Games with 269 points to 265, their third victory against Airspeed this year, and the only one outdoors. It’s more than just another victory in a long line for Hayabusa, it was a close competition all the way, against an incredible team. My lasting memory of this meet will be the great camaraderie and fantastic sportsmanship between these two legendary teams.
Russia were third with 234 points, then guest team Qatar with 214 points, followed by Canada, who did astonishingly well to finish on a 20+ average with a new team member and virtually no training outside. UAE skydived like champions, looking very smooth and tight and did an amazing job to finish on a 19.4 average, especially considering their constant changes in team members.
#8-way
Round 9 is a fast one, 12, 16, 1 – three fast blocks. I speculated earlier in the meet about another record but the Knights are doubtful.. the checks on the bottom of the 12 are going to slow it up, they said. ‘Slow’ is a relative term as they stormed through the skydive racking up a sweet 30 – awesomeness!
The last round – 8, 11, 2 (frisbee-frisbee, norwegian box-norwegian donut, swiss bear-swiss bear) – is what Gary Smith described as a “lemon of a jump – they say if life gives you lemons, make lemonade, but no-one’s making lemonade out of this jump!” The 11 swaps everyone with their piece partner so then teams have to take a long swing move, like UAE did, or do two blocks in very unfriendly B slots. Even the Knights took a long time dirtdiving this one, with much discussion. You could see the truth of his words in the scores, all the lowest of the meet, the Knights scoring 17 with the switcher, Russia and France 13 and Qatar and UAE an 11. Great Britain and the Netherlands were just thankful not to make the cut, meaning they said not have to puzzle this headache of a dive, which is enough to make a team split up!
The final scores on the doors are first, USA’s Golden Knights, making it a sweep for the Knights as GK4 won the female category. They finished on a 22 average and with a new world record in their pockets. Second were Russia, with 18.5 average, ahead of the French who were a little disappointed not to be scoring better but knowing this was what they could expect with their current line-up. In fourth with a fantastic performance were UAE, with an impressive 14.7 average on a not very friendly draw, and with 2 team members fairly new to 8-way. They beat Qatar, reversing the position of the indoor competition just one week ago.
