PWCA

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Rémi Bourdelle.

The paragliding community is a close one, and losing one of its members is deeply felt. We remember the moments, competitions and skies we shared, and our thoughts are with everyone who knew and loved him.
Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Fly high, Rémi. 🕊️

A spectacular week of racing comes to an end! 🪂🏆

Congratulations to all our winners and to every pilot who took on the skies of Gemona throughout an unforgettable week of competition.

Overall Champions
🥇 Baptiste Lambert
🥈 Martin Jovanovski
🥉 Roger Aeschbacher

Women’s Overall
🥇 Alexia Fischer
🥈 Elisa Deutschmann
🥉 Violeta Jiménez

Team Ranking
🥇 Ozone
🥈 Flymaster
🥉 Niviuk

Thank you to all the pilots, organisers, volunteers, sponsors and everyone who made the Paragliding World Cup Gemona 2026 another incredible event. See you at the next stop in Bulgaria!🌍✈️

Ferdinand Vogel Claims Final Task as Gemona World Cup Concludes

The final task of the Paragliding World Cup in Gemona, Italy, delivered a spectacular finish to an exciting week of racing. With thunderstorms forecast later in the day and uncertainty in the morning conditions, the organisation moved quickly, sending pilots to launch around **11:00 a.m.** as the sky began to clear.

A **70 km** task was set, beginning with a challenging leg into the wind before leading pilots through a series of zigzagging turnpoints back across the mountains. Once conditions switched on, the race developed into one of the fastest of the competition.

Strong climbs and efficient ridge lines allowed the lead gaggle to maintain an impressive pace throughout the course. Task winner **Ferdinand Vogel** described the conditions as exceptional, with thermals reaching up to **6 m/s** on the return to the ridge. Combined with efficient transitions, the powerful lift enabled the leaders to complete the entire **70 km** course in just **1 hour and 30 minutes**, averaging nearly **47 km/h** over the optimized task.

Ferdinand Vogel secured the final task victory with an outstanding performance, while **Daphnée Ieropoli** once again claimed the women’s win. **Team Flymaster** rounded off the day with the team victory.

With seven tasks completed, the Paragliding World Cup in Gemona came to a close with the following overall standings:
Overall Individual

🥇 Baptiste Lambert
🥈 Martin Jovanovski
🥉 Roger Aeschbacher

Overall Women

🥇 Alexia Fischer
🥈 Elisa Deutschmann
🥉 Violeta Jiménez

Overall Teams

🥇 Ozone
🥈 Flymaster
🥉 Niviuk

After a week that delivered everything from rain-shortened races to lightning-fast ridge runs, Gemona once again proved why it is one of the most exciting venues on the World Cup calendar, rewarding pilots who combined speed, patience and tactical decision-making throughout the competition.

Task 6 delivered another tactical battle over 80 km, with smooth but powerful conditions and a strong southerly wind keeping pilots on their toes from start to finish. 🪂

A key moment came when the leading group got stuck low below the main ridge near take-off, allowing a chasing group to take a different line, climb above them and take over the lead. The final glide was just as dramatic, with even the front pilots arriving too low to reach goal. Tiny bubbles of lift became the last lifeline, while more than 10 pilots landed just short of goal at the end of the speed section.

🏆 Task Winner: Roger Aeschbacher 🇨🇭
👩 Women’s Winner: Violeta Jiménez
🥇 Winning Team: Niviuk

Another day where smart decisions made all the difference.

The longest task of the competition so far delivered everything: fast ridge racing, multiple valley crossings, tactical decisions and a dramatic battle around the airspace.

Pilots covered 97.1 km, making the most of strong mountain conditions while carefully managing the weaker flats. Several groups formed from the start, and every valley crossing reshuffled the race. The biggest challenge came before the penultimate turnpoint, where weak lift left many pilots struggling to gain enough height to cross the airspace. Some made it over, others were forced to detour, creating decisive time gaps.

In the end, Andy Tallia flew a brilliant race to take the task win, while Daphnée Ieropoli once again topped the women’s ranking.

With four tasks completed, the battle for the overall title is only getting closer. 🪂

Another task in the books 📚