posted Apr 20th, 2015 - The leaderboard of the World Challenge 2015 always features many battles between teams who do not necessarily compete for medals and cash. One of them has been going on between two world class teams for several years.

SportLoto from Russia and Thunder ISR from Belgium were formed at about the same time and both attended the World Challenge for the first time in 2011. Some of the team members had competed in Bedford before with other teams. SportLoto members Egor Gusev and Andrew Kharitonov were Kaktus Hunters at previous World Challenges, and Paul Hofstee competed with the Dutch national team Dynamic Fource in 2010.

Both teams had their complete new lineups together at the World Challenge 2011, and only SportLoto had two personnel changes ever since, while Thunder ISR competed with the same lineup every year. Andrew Kharitonov missed the 2012 event, and Tail Yuri Drozdov was not available this year. Vladimir Pavlenko replaced him at the World Challenge 2015.

World Challenge 2014			Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		17,18,19	5,16,6	4,N,13	P,F,12,M	J,D,10,K	G,3,O,C	H,22,14	20,2,8	1,21,11	15,7,L	Total	Avg
5	SportLoto	RU	24	26	20	30	21	30	24	21	20	27	243	24.3
6	Thunder ISR	BE	20	24	21	30	27	27	21	21	21	29	241	24.1

World Challenge 2013			Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		O,E,J,K,3	M,Q,A,14	4,6,16	8,18,N	H,19,12	2,7,13	11,C,P,9	15,D,10	L,F,17,G	20,1,22	Total	Avg
6	SportLoto	RU	35	28	19	23	24	21	30	23	34	20	257	25.7
7	Thunder ISR	BE	33	32	21	23	23	22	29	21	31	19	254	25.4

World Challenge 2012			Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		D,Q,9,10	17,P,11	2,21,7	14,J,O,M	A,L,18,16	N,H,20,G	C,E,19,22	1,8,4	K,6,3	12,F,5	Total	Avg
7	Thunder ISR	BE	29	25	23	31	16	23	26	21	24	23	241	24.1
11	SportLoto	RU	22	19	18	25	15	23	21	17	19	20	199	19.9

World Challenge 2011			Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		10,C,5	20,P,2	H,M,Q,K,A	L,J,16,12	E,7,15	O,11,22	14,B,17	6,13,9	4,3,21	1,G,8	Total	Avg
6	Russia SportLoto		21	23	49	23	29	20	25	23	21	21	255	25.5
10	Thunder ISR		13	20	41	23	27	20	23	21	19	17	224	22.4

The first two meets between the two teams in Bedford were not the same exciting battles as in the last three years. SportLoto was far ahead of Thunder in 2011. Thunder came back a year later ready to keep up with the Russian team. However, SportLoto did not have the complete lineup available and finished as far behind Thunder as it was the other way around a year ago.

Things changed in 2013 when both teams were well prepared with their complete lineups. SportLoto and Thunder finished with a 3-point difference (275 - 254) which has been the largest margin ever since. SportLoto won again in 2014 with a 2-point difference until Thunder ISR now turned the table for the first time between both complete lineups.

The World Challenge 2015 saw both teams in their best finishing positions, only in reversed order. Thunder ISR won by three points this time.

World Challenge 2015			Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		15,K,E,F	11,22,A	16,H,M,19	3,10,D	17,18,P	4,12,O	5,N,L,G	14,B,C,20	2,1,21	J,Q,6,13	Total	Avg
5	Thunder ISR	BE	35	21	29	23	27	21	28	24	22	27	257	25.7
6	SportLoto	RU	36	23	30	21	24	21	32	22	23	22	254	25.4

The Sun Path Products NSL News update live from Bodyflight Bedford at the end of the first day on April 3rd mentioned that Thunder had a great start into the competition.

SportLoto had won the first three rounds, despite the good Thunder performance. However, Thunder increased the pace and had a 1-point lead after Round 5. The battle went back and forth round by round on the second day of the competition, and Thunder made the final move in the last round, where SportLoto left five points in the judging room and lost the meet.

Thunder has now confirmed the unofficial title of the world's strongest amateur team, indoor and outdoor. The Thunder members explain in the live interview after the competition how they manage their professional and private lives on world class 4-way level. Each Thunder member invests approx. 12,000 Euro per year, and the results are impressive...