Paragliders take on 68-km aerial course as world cup begins

On the first day, Austin Cox of the US was in the lead with 1,000 points, followed by Poland’s Dominik Kapica in second with 861 points and Hungary’s Bence Halasz in third with 858 points

Paragliding action the World Cup 2024 began at Bir Billing on Sunday, with participants being assigned a course with an aerial distance of 68 km and a total route distance of 93 km.

Paragliding action the World Cup 2024 began at Bir Billing. (File)

The designated route included a 5-km segment from Billing to Sansal, followed by 12 km from Sansal to Ghatasani, 26 km from Ghatasani to Kandwari, 2.5 km from Kandwari to Chena Pass, 5 km from Chinna Pass to Ahju, and a final 3 km stretch to the landing site. A total of 72 participants from 23 countries took flight on the first day of the competition.

On the first day, Austin Cox of the US was in the lead with 1,000 points, followed by Poland’s Dominik Kapica in second with 861 points and Hungary’s Bence Halasz in third with 858 points.

In the women’s category, Joana Kocat from Poland led with 724 points, followed by Brazilian Marina Olexina in second with 372 points, and German Daria Eltekove in third with 370 points

Australian paraglider injured

An Australian paraglider, David Snowden, meanwhile, was injured after hard landing at the Billing take-off site. BPA officials said the ropes of the pilot’s glider were entangled, which forced him to land shortly after taking off. Due to hard landing, he suffered a leg injury.

BPA president Anurag Sharma said Snowden was taken to the hospital for a check-up and did not have any serious injuries.

Free-flyer stranded

Meanwhile, a Polish free-flyer was stranded in the higher ranges after reportedly taking off from Billing. Notably, he was not participating in the event.

Sharma said the foreign free-flyer had suffered a crash landing and was stranded in high mountains but was in communication with his colleagues. “His colleagues are in contact with him and his location has been traced. They have contacted his insurance company and he will be rescued using a chopper,” he said.