posted Jul 4th, 2024 - The military CISM showdown in Hungary has started with the first scores for Round 1 and Round 2. The NSL News published a few previews, as at least four of the participating nations are represented at the military world championships by teams who also compete at FAI/ISC events, together with civilian teams.

NMP PCH HayaBusa has won the CISM competition 15 consecutive times for the Belgian delegation, as the NSL News reported with several earlier updates. However, the Belgian 4-way world champions of 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021 are probably facing their most challenging CISM situation since 2007 after the recent changes of the lineup, and the scores for Round 1 were the first evidence.

The Qatar Tigers won the meet opener by one point, and they will try to take full advantage of the situation and defeat NMP PCH HayaBusa for the first time. The same Tigers lineup of the last decade have always been in 2nd place behind NMP PCH HayaBusa at the CISM World Championships, and this is their opportunity to win the first CISM gold medals. NMP PCH HayaBusa members have explained the challenging situation carefully during NSL Live Talk, and the Belgian CISM lineup ended up only one point behind the Qatar Tigers in the opening round.

CISM Military 2024			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Male - Top 4		M,16,E,B		M,D,F,21		M,A,C,22		M,O,19,P		M,H,L,11		M,G,N,1		M,17,K,J		M,Q,R,14		Total	Avg
1	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	37	1	36		-		-		-		-		-		-		73	36.5
2	Golden Knights	US	35	2	35		-		-		-		-		-		-		70	35.0
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	38	1	31	3	-		-		-		-		-		-		69	34.5
4	Papea	ES	27	2	33		-		-		-		-		-		-		60	30.0

There is a big load of pressure especially on two HayaBusa members. David Grauwels has been in all HayaBusa lineups at the 15 previous CISM World Championships before he switched to HayaBusa's camera slot in 2020. The Belgian delegation brought him back to his former inside center slot when HayaBusa's current lineup needed him to defend the top position at the CISM World Championship.

David Grauwels spent the first seven HayaBusa years (2002 - 2008) in the outside center slot before he switched to inside center between 2009 and 2019. That's the time period when NMP PCH HayaBusa won their four consecutive FAI world championship gold medals.

There is probably even more pressure on new inside center and CISM tail Neal Willems who was selected by the reigning 4-way world champions of 2021 for the new lineup. He is the only team member in Hungary who has neither won CISM nor FAI/ISC gold medals at a world championship yet.

He has his own world championship (2022) and world cup (2023) experiences and has outscored the Qatar Tigers in Eloy 2022 as well as in Norway 2023. Michele Silvi was outside center for NMP PCH HayaBusa at both events. Jeroen Nollet (Tail) and Neal Willems (Inside Center) have been training and competing together in the rear piece, and they are separated only for the eight CISM rounds, with Jeroen Nollet switching to point, Neal Willems to tail.

CISM Military 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Male - Top 5		M,A,19,G		M,22,C,H		M,N,21,R		M,10,E,D		M,B,4,O		M,F,14,Q		M,L,11,K		M,J,17,P		Total	Avg
1	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	33		31	1	28	3	31	1	37	1	34		32	1	38	1	264	33.0
2	Qatar Tigers	QA	32	1	28		28	2	26	1	33		29	1	28		39		243	30.4
3	Germany	DE	28		24	1	23		22	1	28		28		24		31		208	26.0
4	Turkey	TR	25		19	3	22	1	26		28		24	2	23		33		200	25.0
5	Papea Masculino	ES	20	1	19	3	25	1	24	1	30		26	2	23	5	29		196	24.5

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NMP PCH HayaBusa - Qatar Tigers at the 2022 CISM World Championship

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The scores in the first two rounds speak for the strength of the different rear piece, with inside center David Grauwels and tail Neal Willems, who has probably put the higher level of pressure back on David Grauwels in his inside center slot. However, the 3-time inside center world champion of 2014, 2016 and 2018, plus videographer and alternate for the 2021 lineup, surely knows pressure well enough.

Neal Willems' first CISM World Championship started out as good as it could be. He was not in the CISM lineup that won the previous military world championship in 2022, where David Grauwels was in the lineup, as well, in his inside center slot. David Grauwels, Dennis Praet, Jeroen Nollet won the CISM gold medals in 2022 with outside center Michele Silvi.

Round 1 at his first CISM World Championship in the defending gold medal team alone was probably a very heavy burden for Neal Willems. However, the 1-point difference to Qatar Tigers after Round 1 might have been encouraging, as NMP PCH HayaBusa followed up with the highscore in Round 2. The Qatar Tigers, with coach and 14-time consecutive CISM gold medalist Andy Grauwels, lost Round 2 not only to NMP PCH HayaBusa. The Golden Knights are now in 2nd place with the current lineup at their first CISM World Championship.

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Top 10		3,G,N,19		11,17,L		13,7,C		2,D,O,8		14,K,J,12		9,M,P,H		5,4,18		15,1,10		16,21,E		F,20,6		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	26		27		26		25		22		48	-1	22		21		25		25		267	26.7
2	France 4-way Open	FR	23		25	-1	26		24		19		45	-1	19		19		23		23		246	24.6
3	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	20	-4	20	-2	25		23	-1	18	-2	45		20		19		24		24		238	23.8
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	20	-1	22	-1	23		20		19		40		13	-4	17	-1	22		19	-4	215	21.5
5	SDC Rhythm XP	US	18		17	-1	19	-2	19		17		38		16		17		18		18	-1	197	19.7
6	Airbus Illertissen Oceanside	DE	17	-1	18		20	-1	17		14		31	-1	15		15		18		18		183	18.3
7	Amnesya	IT	16	-1	17		19		17	-1	16		31	-1	15		14		18		18	-1	181	18.1
8	Papea	ES	14	-3	17	-1	18	-1	17		14	-1	32		14	-1	15		18		18		177	17.7
9	Qatar Cheetahs	QA	17		16		19		17		16		29		14		14		17		17		176	17.6
10	Out Of The Blue	NL	17		15	-1	18		16	-1	15		31	-4	14		13		16		18	-1	173	17.3

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NMP PCH HayaBusa - Qatar Tigers - Papea at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023

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