posted May 25th, 2017 - Recent updates of the Sun Path Products NSL News covered the history of Formation Skydiving competition since 1985. The 40-year anniversary of the two original events (4-way Open, 8-way Open) at the FAI Mondial 2016 offered a good opportunity for a review.

The update on 6 May 2017 was related to Russia's national 8-way team from Tanay and became the first part of the "FS Powerhouse Story". The second part on 20 May 2017 picked up the topic and focused on the 4-way Open Class history.

Both stories were showing how the USA, France and Russia have been dominating the two events, although Russia has not been as powerful in 4-way as in 8-way.

The situation is different in 4-way Women competition, which was introduced officially at a World Championship of Formation Skydiving in Spain 2001. There is also a third powerful nation in this event, next to France and the USA. Teams from Great Britain have won nearly as many FAI medals as French and US teams have.

FAI World Meet 2001			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		8,19,24	A,L,22,H	E,10,D,11	21,6,4	B,18,C,14	G,5,20	2,1,16	M,K,12,9	15,23,P	O,17,Q,N	Total	Avg
1	Synchronicity	US	13	13	13	12	14	14	15	16	13	24	147	14.7
2	Norgie Girls	NO	13	15	15	13	13	12	13	15	13	22	144	14.4
3	4 Pleasure	SE	13	15	14	13	14	14	14	15	12	19	143	14.3
4	V-Max	UK	9	15	14	12	14	14	13	16	13	21	141	14.1
5	Russia	RU	11	11	12	12	9	12	12	13	11	12	115	11.5
6	South Africa	ZA	12	12	11	9	11	8	11	13	10	-	113	12.6
7	Italy	IT	10	10	11	9	5	11	11	9	11	-	87	9.7
8	Parat	DE	8	10	8	7	9	9	9	9	6	-	75	8.3
9	Spain	ES	4	7	6	4	8	6	4	9	5	-	53	5.9
10	Austria	AT	6	4	5	4	3	6	5	7	6	-	46	5.1

In fact, the same three female powerhouses (France, USA, Great Britain) have won exactly the same number of gold medals since 2001, three each.

France did not participate with a 4-way Women team at the first two events in 2001 and 2003. From then on, just like the US teams in 4-way Open, French teams never missed the podium.

The USA did not win any medals only once in Germany 2006. This was also the only World Championship of Formation Skydiving where the US delegation did not win a set of medals in each of these three Formation Skydiving events.

Elsinore Select was actually tied with the Russian Ladybirds in bronze medal position after Round 5 in 2006. Then the weather neither allowed any more competition rounds nor a jump-off. The bronze medals went to Russia after applying the FAI/IPC tie-breaking rules of 2006.

FAI World Meet 2006			1	2	3	4	5	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		N,20,16	K,J,C,G,3	D,19,B,6	L,14,10	F,17,M,2	Total	Avg
1	Perris AirKix	UK	16	23	19	15	22	95	19.0
2	France	FR	17	22	18	14	18	89	17.8
3	Ladybirds	RU	12	16	15	13	17	73	14.6
3	Elsinore Select	US	12	15	17	12	17	73	14.6
5	Focus Remscheid	DE	12	16	14	10	14	66	13.2
6	Infinity	NL	10	15	14	11	14	64	12.8
7	Norway	NO	9	14	14	11	15	63	12.6
7	Switzerland	CH	12	14	13	9	15	63	12.6
7	Alfa-Fox	UA	11	14	14	11	13	63	12.6
10	Australia	AU	10	14	14	10	14	62	12.4
11	Spain	ES	9	12	8	8	10	47	9.4
12	South Africa	ZA	9	12	10	6	9	46	9.2

Norway (2001, 2003, 2012), Russia (2004, 2006) and Sweden are the only other nations who have won medals in 4-way Women. The Scandinavian countries have been quiet in this event after Polaris won bronze medals in Dubai 2012, and the Golden Knights have not come back after the gold medals in 2016, while France and Great Britain move on in full strength.

In fact, the next gold medals seem to be out of reach for any other country, as the French Weembi Girls are far ahead of all 4-way Women teams at this point in time. NFTO might have the opportunity to move up into the silver medal position for the UK delegation in Australia 2018.

However, a new US team, Phoenix XP, has posted some impressive indoor scores after launching a new team project, and the US delegation could have a medal contender ready next year. Parachute Montreal Fuzion from Canada is also looking for redemption after missing the bronze medals in 2016, and Canada has not won a medal in 4-way Women yet. Finally, Russia's Bubble Trouble could become a serious medal contender, as well.

It has happened only once since 1985 that USA, France and Russia finished in the same order in all three events. DeLand Fire, Arizona Airspeed and Synchronicity won gold for the USA in 2004, France won the three silver medals and Russia triple bronze. Chances are little that this could happen again in Australia 2018, as NMP PCH HayaBusa will probably not leave Gold Coast without a medal...

All medal winners in 4-way Open 8-way and 4-way Women at World Championships of Formation Skydiving since 1985