posted Aug 21st, 2021 - The 8-way competition at the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020 was expected to be the most exciting part of the Formation Skydiving competition events, and it turned out to match the highest expectations. It was a dramatic battle between Airspeed XP8 and France throughout the seven rounds, with a 1-point difference when the meet had to be called.

The last preview of the 8-way competition, including the NSL Power Rankings, had considered the Russian 8-way team from Tanay in the middle of the same battle for the gold medals. Unfortunately, Tanay 8 had a slow start into the competition, too slow to stay within striking distance of the two very strong opponents. Tanay 8 were already nine points behind France at the end of the first 8-way day, six points behind Airspeed XP8.

Coach Craig Girard managed to get the Russian 8-way team back on track, but it was too late. Tanay 8 tied at least the score of one of the two opponents in the next four rounds, and it was still not enough. Russia needed highscores for the same four rounds to catch up.

The 21.9 average was a new team record average, and it still could not defend the top spot in the world successfully, which Russia had after the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019. It was more than enough though to hold off the Qatar Falcons, who had to give up their bronze medals of Australia 2018.

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FAI Tanay Mondial 2020			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		O,19,Q,5		17,B,E,P		H,15,12		M,N,7,F		K,L,C,4		J,18,16		1,9,A		Total	Avg
1	Airspeed XP8	US	20		23		22	-1	23		31	-1	23		24		166	23.7
2	France National 8-way	FR	20		23		25		24		26	-1	25	-1	22	-1	165	23.6
3	Tanay 8	RU	18		21	-1	20		23		26		23		22		153	21.9
4	Qatar Falcons	QA	17		17		19		18		22		19	-1	19		131	18.7
5	Kazakhstan	KZ	5		9		6	-2	10		7	-1	12	-1	12		61	8.7
6	Belarus	BY	4	-1	6		4	-2	5	-2	7		8	-1	2	-1	36	5.1

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Airspeed XP8 - France - Tanay 8 at the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020

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The battle between Airspeed XP8 and France still held up to everything that could be expected. The NSL News pointed out at the end of the first 8-way day that "Round 5 in 8-way could scramble the medal positions", and that's what happened.

France were three points ahead after Round 3 and added another point to the lead in Round 4. They had won or tied the highscore for each of the first four rounds. Then came the fast Round 5, which had the potential for a new world record in a single round.

Airspeed XP8 came close to the standing world record number of the Golden Knights (33) and wiped out the French 4-point lead just in this single round. The U.S. team was now up by a point and gained a lot of confidence.

However, the young French team with national coach Mathieu Bernier in the lineup, and with all his competition experiences available for his team, they turned the table in Round 6 and took back the lead. This was one of the most impressive turns in the 8-way competition, after the 5-point loss in the previous round.

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Qatar Falcons at the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020

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The duel between Airspeed XP8 and France became the expected dramatic 1-point battle after the results of Round 5. The two teams then took turns in holding the top spot twice, and it could have continued like that for the remaining three rounds. There was no other sequence like the one in Round 5 that could have offered an opportunity to run away from the field.

It was bad luck for France that the meet was over after Round 7 and not after Round 6, due to the weather situation, and it was the vice versa situation on the Airspeed XP8 side. However, the most experienced Formation Skydiving competitors in the world are aware of the situation that any next round could be the last one.

The audience would have enjoyed a completed competition with all ten rounds, ideally with an extra jump-off round. It was the 4th time in the history of 8-way competition since 1985 that a world meet was not completed with all ten rounds. Only the 8-way teams missed one round in Rijeka 2004, France won after only six rounds in Germany 2006, and again on home turf and after seven rounds in Maubeuge 2008.

Mathieu Bernier competed in 8-way at each of the three consecutive world meets with incomplete numbers of rounds, and it happened to him again in Tanay, Russia. He lost to Arizona Airspeed in 2004 and won in 2006 and 2008. His account at incomplete events is balanced now...

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FAI Outdoor World Meet 2016			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		12,A,16		18,15,O		1,F,E,C		17,B,14		10,2,20		21,11,G		J,5,19		L,M,K,7		D,8,4		3,13,Q		Total	Avg
1	Golden Knights	US	31		25		26	-1	22		20		22		19		26		24		24	-1	239	23.9
2	France	FR	22	-1	20	-1	25		18		16		19		17		23		19		20		199	19.9
3	Tanay	RU	23		19		25		17		14	-1	16		16		21		20		19		190	19.0
4	Qatar Falcons	QA	19		16		20		15		7	-2	10	-4	13		16	-1	15		15		146	14.6
5	Microclim8	UK	15		14	-1	16	-1	14		11		13		13		14	-1	13		17		140	14.0
6	Airbus München	DE	16		15		17		11		11		13		12		14		12		15		136	13.6
7	Australia	AU	13		13		14	-1	12		9	-1	13		12		15		10		14		125	12.5
8	Divergence	CA	11		10	-1	9	-2	11		8		10		8	-1	10		11		11		99	9.9
9	Brazil	BR	11		8	-1	10		9		5	-2	9		9		11		8		13		93	9.3

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Highest average in 8-way history: Golden Knights at the FAI Outdoor World Meet 2016

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