NZ Paragliding team flies high

NZ Paragliding team flies high

6 March 2007

New Zealand’s top woman paraglider, Harmony Gaw, is coming second in the female rankings of the Paragliding World Championships, which are the equivalent of the Olympics for paraglider pilots.

The Kiwi team is placed seventh out of the 39 nations competing in the biennial event is being held in Manilla, New South Wales, Australia. The event ends on 10 March. Gaw, from Wanaka, is placed 27th overall, while Grant Middendorf from Ohai is 12th, and Thomas Rold from Queenstown is 24th.

The world championship is being contested by 150 paraglider pilots, including 32 women, from around the world. Petra Slivova from the Czech Republic is leading both the open and women’s fields. Australia, with seven team members, is placed in eight position, and the Czech Republic is leading.

“The Kiwis are flying really well given that the European and Australian teams are twice the size” said team spokesperson Kris Ericksen. “If team scores were based on each teams average score, rather than the best three from each day, then New Zealand would be in second place overall.”

Two weeks ago German paraglider pilot Ewa Wisnierska was sucked up to 10,000 metres in a thunderstorm at Manilla while practicing for the world championships. Wisnierska has returned to flying and is currently in 74th place.

Paraglider pilots catch thermals, which are rising currents of warm air, to gain height. The pilots navigate a pre-determined course using global positioning system devices. The race resembles a three-dimensional yacht race.

ENDS