FAI World XC Contest winners 2024
We congratulate the winners of the FAI World XC Contest of the season 2023-2024!
Paragliding
In the season 2023-2024, there were 2770 paraglider pilots competing in the FAI World XC contest, a 7% decrease compared to 2023. All top performance flights were carried out in Brazil, but very few exceeded 500 km. The maximum average speed achieved was over 50 km/h.
Paragliding Open Class
Sebastian Benz of Switzerland topped the 2024 season with an impressive 2771.46 points, drawn from six standout flights. Flying Ozone Enzo 3 in Caicó, Brazil, and Zeno 2 in Switzerland, Benz demonstrated both endurance and strategy. His crowning achievement was a marathon 11-hour flight on September 13 in Caicó, covering 557.59 km at an average speed of 49.28 km/h, earning him 557.59 points. Two subsequent flights in Caicó reached 551.97 km at 50.71 km/h and 460.57 km at 43.06 km/h. Earlier in the season, his Swiss-based flights included impressive triangle distances of 299, 283, and 320 km.
Brazil’s Samuel Milani Pereira secured second place with 2474.06 points, thanks to six October 2023 flights from Cachoeirinha, Brazil, all exceeding 400 km. His best was a 467.08 km flight on October 7, completed in 10.5 hours at an average speed of 44.65 km/h. Additional highlights included 438.43 km in nearly 11 hours on October 23 and 419.22 km in 10 hours and 20 minutes on October 9.
Philippe Leuenberger, another Swiss pilot, took third place with 2206.59 points, excelling on his OZONE Zeno 2. His best flight from Caicó occurred on October 15, covering 454.73 km in 10 hours at 43.46 km/h. He also flew 391.61 km on October 9 and 375.58 km on October 7, demonstrating consistent skill in navigating Brazil’s thermals. Leuenberger’s achievements also crowned him the Serial Class WXC champion.
Paragliding Serial Class
As mentioned above Philippe Leuenberger (SUI) extended his dominance to the Serial Class, leveraging his Brazilian successes.
Argentina’s Damian Lestarpe closely followed with 2201.30 points, flying a Skywalk Mint glider, which allowed him to be number 1 in Sport Class as well. His top flight on October 29, 2023, from Caraubas, Brazil, spanned 425.59 km at 42.66 km/h in 10 hours, showcasing his stamina. Other notable flights included 397.94 km at 39.57 km/h on October 24 and 391.54 km on October 27, both from Caraubas.
When flying Ozone Zeno 2 Sebastian Benz (SUI) rounded out the top three with 2033.58 points. His best Serial class flight, a 299.85 km triangle from Mornera, Switzerland, earned him 419.79 points on May 9, 2024.
Paragliding Sport Class
Dominating the Sport-class rankings among 1,483 pilots, Damian Lestarpe (ARG) claimed the top spot with 2,201.30 points.
Serena Ronchi (SUI) placed second with 1,933.61 points, excelling as the top-performing female pilot. Her highlight was a 416.16 km flight from Assu, Brazil, on October 27, 2023. Lasting over 10 hours, the flight averaged 40.76 km/h, showcasing her endurance and skill. Other notable flights included 383.39 km on October 24 and 352.21 km on October 22, both exceeding nine hours.
Lukasz Sieminski (POL) secured third place with 1,759.18 points, flying a Nova Codex. His best effort came on August 11, 2024, with a 275.62 km flight from Sorica, Slovenia, lasting 10 hours and earning 330.74 points at an average speed of 27.48 km/h. Another standout was his 259.71 km flight from Kerio View, Kenya, on January 29, 2024, which took 9 hours and 22 minutes, demonstrating his versatility across varied terrains.
Paragliding Standard-Class 2024
Manuele Dondi (ITA) dominated the Standard class rankings among 600 pilots with 1,564.14 points, thanks to consistently remarkable flights across Europe. Flying an Advance Iota DLS, Dondi’s top flight covered 230.16 km from Col d'Izoard, France, on August 10, 2024. This 10.5-hour journey averaged 21.87 km/h, earning him 322.22 points. His other key flights included a 200.53 km route from Fiesch, Switzerland, on July 20, 2024, and a 199.43 km flight from Montemezzo, Italy, on May 9, 2024, each lasting about 9-10 hours.
Jacober Werner (SUI), with 1,369.90 points, took second place flying an Ozone Swift 6. His best performance came on May 11, 2024, with a 223.70 km flight from Fanas, Switzerland, lasting over 9 hours at an average speed of 23.82 km/h. Werner also delivered other strong flights of 200+ km lasting around 9 hours and averaging speeds above 24 km/h.
Reto Ivan Clénin (SUI) flying an Ozone Swift 6, secured third place with 1,301.87 points. His top flight on April 25, 2024, covered 181.84 km from Mornera, Switzerland, in just over 7 hours, averaging 25.69 km/h. Clénin also achieved two flights exceeding 193 km, both lasting about 9 hours.
Paragliding Women Overall / Paragliding Women Serial Class
This year the podium of Open among women is equal to podium of the Serial Class. Totally there were 138 women competing of which 122 flew Serial Class gliders and 16 flew CCCs.
Serena Ronchi (Switzerland) with her Ozone Photon dominated the female Overall and Serial rankings with a series of extraordinary flights in Brazil. The same flights that made her Sport Class Overall silver winner brought her to Overall female podium (1933.61 points).
Ramona Eckert (Germany) showcased her skill across diverse European terrains on her Ozone Zeno 2 MS. Her standout performance was a 226.11 km flight from Hochfelln, Germany, on May 11, 2024. Clocking an average speed of 23.81 km/h, she navigated mountain ridges and valley thermals for over 9.5 hours.
Claire Garnesson (France) is ranked third. Her season was marked by steady performances in her home country’s French Alps on her Ozone Alpina 4. The best flight covered 219.47 km from Saint-André-les-Alpes on August 5, 2024 – 10 hours with average speed of 21.20 km/h. Garnesson’s success originates from 5 flights exceeding 200 km, and one very close 193 km.
Paragliding Women’s Sport Class
For the Women’s Sport Class, Ronchi continued her success, followed by Claire Garnesson (FRA) and Corina Beerli (SUI). Beerli’s standout 173.19 km flight from Niesen, Switzerland, was completed in 8 hours at 20.16 km/h.
Paragliding Women’s Standard Class
In the Women’s Standard Class, Gabriela Jacober (SUI) triumphed, her top-flight covering 167.20 km in the Swiss Alps at 22.35 km/h. Germany’s Valerie Schubert and Julia Menzel followed, showcasing their talent in European and Colombian skies.
Hang gliding
Class 1
The 2024 Hang Gliding Class 1 season saw a decline in activity, with 165 pilots participating—an 18% decrease from the previous year. Despite simpler flights and lower scores, top athletes delivered stable performance.
Brazil’s Glauco Pinto led the rankings with 1705.69 points. Though his recent flights did not surpass his past achievements, such as a world record of 630.9 km, his skill remains evident. His top 2024 flight, covering 333.23 km in 7 hours and 2 minutes from Tacima, Brazil, averaged 47.39 km/h. On September 29, he achieved a faster speed, flying 294.46 km in just 4 hours and 57 minutes at 59.55 km/h.
Italy’s Suan Selenati ranked second with 1526.28 points, excelling in Europe’s mountainous terrain. His standout flight on August 9 from Gemona, Italy, spanned 214.47 km in 8 hours and 55 minutes, averaging 24.05 km/h. Another strong performance came on March 25, covering 200.74 km from Zoncolan in 7 hours and 2 minutes at 28.54 km/h.
France’s Tao Le earned third place with 1448.63 points. Competing primarily in France, he achieved his season’s best on August 12 with a 283.70 km flight from Izoard in 10 hours, averaging 28.37 km/h. A close second was his 240.10 km flight on July 8 from Chabre Espranons, completed in 8 hours and 23 minutes at 28.63 km/h.
Class 5
Rigid wing participation in 2024 remained stable, with 51 pilots competing compared to 52 last year. While no flights exceeded 300 km, all three podium finishers flew Atos VR gliders.
Austria’s Toni Raumauf claimed first place with 1590.31 points. His top flight, 212.17 km from Kössen, Austria, on May 11, 2024, lasted 6 hours and 48 minutes at an average speed of 31.20 km/h, earning 297.04 points. His remaining flights, all from Austria’s mountainous regions, solidified his top ranking.
Swiss pilot Christian Voiblet closely followed with 1589.93 points. Voiblet’s best flight was a 257.63 km journey on May 10, 2024, from Chabre, France, lasting 5 hours and 45 minutes at an average speed of 44.80 km/h, scoring 360.69 points.
Austria’s Christopher Friedl secured third with 1356.20 points, achieving the longest Class 5 flight of the year. On June 18, 2024, he flew 298.56 km from Bischling, Austria, over 9 hours and 16 minutes at an average speed of 32.23 km/h, earning 358.27 points. Another notable performance was a 256.18 km flight from Bischling on August 24, earning 307.41 points in 6 hours and 28 minutes. Despite these impressive distances, his remaining flights fell short of lifting him higher on the podium.
Class 2
The Hang Gliding Class 2 competition remains a close-knit field, with 4 Swiss and 5 French pilots consistently competing each year. In 2024, French pilots swept the podium.
Jacques Bott claimed the top spot with 2675.30 points, flying an Aeriane Swift 3. Bott's best flight of the season was a 355.89 km journey on July 20, 2024, from Serres, France. The flight lasted 7 hours and 33 minutes, with an average speed of 47.08 km/h, earning 498.24 points. Another standout performance was his 344.45 km flight on July 9, 2024, scoring 482.23 points at a slightly higher average speed of 47.41 km/h.
Second place went to Patrick Chopard Lallier, who accumulated 2471.49 points flying an Aeriane Swift Light. His season highlight was a 359.27 km flight on August 6, 2024, from Aspres Aerodrome. The flight, which lasted 7 hours and 26 minutes, achieved an average speed of 48.31 km/h and earned 502.98 points. Lallier also posted the fastest flight among the top three pilots, with an average speed of 53.38 km/h on July 30, 2024, during a 327.13 km flight that earned him 457.99 points.
Philippe Harignordoquy secured third place with 2325.07 points, flying a Ruppert Composite Archaeopteryx. His top flight covered 350.78 km on July 9, 2024, lasting 8 hours and 3 minutes at an average speed of 43.56 km/h, earning 491.09 points. On July 10, 2024, he flew 280.01 km in 7 hours and 8 minutes, adding 392.01 points to his season total. His other flights consistently ranged in the 200+ km span.
Hang Gliding Class 1 Women
Participation in the 2024 Hang Gliding Class 1 Women’s category saw a slight shift, with two French pilots stepping back and a new entrant, Ana Carolina Franco de Oliveira from Brazil, joining with flights from Pico do Gavião, Brazil. Seven women competed this season.
Germany’s Corinna Schwiegershausen dominated the rankings, amassing 843.36 points flying the LiteSpeed RX PRO Technora 3. Her best flight of the year occurred on August 29, 2024, from Emberger Alm, Greifenburg, Austria. She covered 139.06 km in 3 hours and 15 minutes, earning 166.87 points with an average speed of 42.69 km/h.
France’s Francoise Dieuzeide-Banet secured second place with 632.09 points. Her top performance, flying a Moyes LiteSpeed RX 3, came on May 10, 2024, with a 132.27 km flight from Chabre Espranons, France. This five-hour journey earned her 185.17 points, with an average speed of 25.38 km/h.
Austria’s Sasha Serebrennikova finished third with 500.86 points. Her standout flight was on January 13, 2024, covering 109.96 km from Forbes Airfield, Australia, earning 131.95 points. Sasha’s shorter flights included 90.77 km from Bassano, Italy, in March, and 74.19 km from Lijak, Slovenia, in June.
