posted Aug 18th, 2015 - The situation in 4-way Women at the FAI World Cup 2015 is very different compared to the expected 4-way Open Class competition that the Sun Path Products NSL News covered with the first preview on August 14th.

NMP-PCH Hayabusa will most likely walk away with the gold medals, and serious battles can only be expected for the other medal positions and the slots in the semifinals and finals.

The teams in 4-way Women don't have to worry about making all ten rounds or not. The small field guarantees each team a slot in the finals, at least according to the registration status in July. However, the competition in 4-way Women features the drama of the currently two best teams in the world facing each other for the first time directly with their 2015/2016 lineups.

Registered 4-way Women: Golden Knights (US), French Girls (FR), Infra Red Band (RU), No Mercy (PL), Bellatrix (AU)

The Russian Infra Red Band is probably also safely in the bronze medal position, while No Mercy from Poland and Bellatrix from Australia may try to get as close as possible to the Russian national team in 4-way Women of the past years.

The showdown between the Golden Knights and the French Girls will compensate for the small field, as it will be the next opportunity for the US Army team to get ahead of the new French lineup. The Golden Knights are in the middle of their 5th year with the same lineup, while France had a new start with two new members this year, after winning the third consecutive set of gold medals in Prostejov 2014.

The Golden Knights won the silver medals in 2012 and 2014 behind the French Girls and are eager to turn silver into gold next year. The FAI World Cup 2015 will be an important milestone on the way to the Mondial 2016, and the Golden Knights should have an advantage at this point in time.

Paraclete XP Outdoor			Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Total	Avg
AAA Class			N,2,13	16,O,E,10	D,19,11	C,8,M,9	F,20,P,6	A,7,B,G	Total	Avg
Golden Knights	US	News	19	22	18	25	24	32	140	23.3

Coupe de France July

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Total

Avg

AAA Class

19,B,D,11

15,H,K,14

L,20,O,17

9,F,6

N,A,7,21

10,4,M

16,J,3

13,5,2

Total

Avg

French Girls

FR

INT

21

20

21

28

20

16

18

15

159

19.9

French Nationals			Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Total	Avg
AAA Class			18,20,P	4,2,8	A,M,21,16	E,19,L,11	Total	Avg
French Girls	FR	INT	20	17	21	23	81	20.3

Neither of the two top contenders has completed a 10-round outdoor meet this year. The Golden Knights had posted a 21.4 average at the USPA Nationals 2014, and the first outdoor competition in 2015, the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship, was shortened to only six rounds.

The new French Girls competed at the Coupe de France July competition for the first time with the complete lineup and followed up last week with four more rounds at the French Nationals 2015. The 4-way experts have the opportunity to compare the sequences, scores and videos for any conclusions and predictions.

The results at the FAI World Cup will probably have an impact on the strategy and training plans for the next year and are meaningful. The Sun Path Products NSL News will report the 4-way Women showdown live from the competition site in Teuge, Netherlands.