The Drop

On October 5th – 11th, 2024, 44 competitors from 10 nations – Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and USA – participated in the 5th FAI World Speed Skydiving Championships. The event was organized by Skydive Chicago and Skydive Paraclete XP and hosted at Crystal Coast Skydiving in Beaufort, North Carolina. The city was ranked as “America’s Coolest Small Town” by readers of Budget Travel Magazine. Beaufort is located in North Carolina’s “Inner Banks” region. Crystal coast is a truly scenic area, especially when seen form the air near sunset. Flying over the Atlantic Ocean made the climb to altitude quite enjoyable for someone who lives in the desert.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony took place at Fort Macon, one of the Third System coastal forts that were built around the borders of the still-young United States following the War of 1812. The athletes paraded through the fort with their national flags and were treated to a cannon demonstration during the playing of the national anthem.

Location and Challenges

The competition site has a humid subtropical climate and a field elevation of 10ft / 3m. Many speeders remarked that their performance was between 10-20 km/h slower than in training. While density altitude plays a role in performance, the competitors had a few more challenges to deal with. A powerful solar storm interfered with the athlete’s speed measuring devices, triggering around 60 re-jumps.

A bird strike grounded one of the otters, and on the second to last day there were turbulent winds attributed to hurricane Milton, which had passed over Florida and was on its way out to the Atlantic. Competitors were on a lengthy weather hold until the conditions improved.  Despite all these setbacks, the organizers managed to complete all events on time.

Results

Over the 8 open rounds many new competition personal bests were recorded. While there were no new additions to the 500Club during this event, there are two other noteworthy mentions. Congratulations to Sebastián who became the 4^th person in history to break 500km/h in every round, and Mervyn who is the 3^rd athlete to reach over 520km/h in competition. These achievements will rearrange the ISSA Eternal Rankings when they are updated in the near future.

Nik soared to victory becoming the 2024 FAI World Speed Skydiving Champion. He was able to improve on his previous performance from the USPA Nationals just two weeks earlier. Brianne took 3^rd in the female category and placed 18^th overall. In the National Team category, Nik, Brianne, and Mike took 1^st with a new National Team World Record. Brianne and Nik also took 2^nd in the newly established Mixed Team category with a World Record set in round 1.

All speeds below listed in km/h

OPEN

FEMALE

NATIONAL TEAM

MIXED TEAM

*Mixed is a separate event from the Open category with an additional three jumps and individual scores.  

JUNIOR

Awards

The awards and closing ceremonies took place at the Crystal Coast Civic Center. During the banquette attendees enjoyed a three-course meal while watching event footage on two jumbotrons. After the meal, the champions were called up on stage to take the podium and receive their medals and trophies.

The TIM MACE trophy is presented to the World Champion in Speed Skydiving to remain in his/her possession until the next World Championships. The Trophy was founded in memory of Timothy Mace and was presented for the first time to the winner of the 2016 World Championship. Past to present: 2016 Henrik Raimer (SWE), 2018 Thomas Moritz Friess (GER), 2021 Kyle Lobpries (USA), 2022 Marco Hepp (GER), 2024 Niklas Daniel (USA).

THANK YOU

AXIS Flight School thanks all of its sponsors, supporters, friends, and family who make chasing our dreams possible. In no particular order: Skydive Arizona, Skyventure Arizona, Performance Designs, UPT, Cypres, Cookie, Vertical Suits, L&B Altimeters, FlySight, and Althoff & Voeller. Special shout out to Heidi, Mickey, Dave, and Kay.

Here is to the Speed Skydiving community which continues to push the limits and brings out the best in each other.

Brianne and Nik took home 3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze, the FAI Tim Mace trophy, and multiple records.

Links:

• Results
• InTime Scoring
• Pictures
• US Parachute Team Facebook page

News Coverage:

• FAI NEWS: GOLD MEDAL HAUL FOR HOST USA AT 2024 FAI WORLD SKYDIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
• NEWS abc 12: Beaufort hosts Skydiving World Championships
• The News&Observer: Where can people hit 300 mph? In this rural NC spot, with the world’s best skydivers.