posted Jul 7th, 2024 - The Golden Knights with their current 4-way lineup had not posted or shared any of the highscores in the first four rounds of the CISM World Championship 2024. However, they have been within striking distance to the respective leader in each of the first four rounds, until their turn came in Round 5.

It was only the second time that any of the three medal contenders could outscore all opponents by more than one point. NMP PCH HayaBusa had extended their lead to five points with the 30-pointer in Round 3. The Golden Knights then won Round 5 by two points over Spain's Papea CISM lineup, who outscored Belgium and Qatar both in the most recent round.

The sequences for each of the eight rounds are fast enough that any mistakes can be punished harder than at slower and more technical sequences of the FAI/ISC competition rounds. The first highscore of the Golden Knights has changed the situation on the top of the leaderboard significantly, and all three medal contenders are close enough to each other for a very exciting finish. It took only two rounds that the U.S. Army team needed to turn the 5-point lead of NMP PCH HayaBusa into their own 1-point advantage, and the Golden Knights have created an even stronger momentum at the team's first CISM competition.

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	Golden Knights	US	35	2	35		28	2	36		34		-		-		-		168	33.6
1	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	37	1	36		30		34		30	2	-		-		-		167	33.4
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	38	1	31	3	25	4	37		31	1	-		-		-		162	32.4
4	Papea	ES	27	2	33		26		29		32		-		-		-		147	29.4

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Golden Knights - NMP PCH HayaBusa - Qatar Tigers until Round 5 at the CISM 2024

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NMP PCH HayaBusa with their scrambled CISM lineup, defending military 4-way world champions for Belgium since 2007, are facing two teams who both have more of the usual consistency in 4-way team rosters. The Qatar Tigers have been training and competing together for over a decade with the current lineup. The current Golden Knights lineup started together in 2023 under the consistent supervision and coaching by Arizona Airspeed's Niklas Hemlin.

This new Golden Knights lineup could become a serious challenger of the new Airspeed team, and all other U.S. 4-way teams, after the planned changes later this year, when Joey Marshall and Chris Kuhlmann will continue without Niklas Hemlin and Mikhail Markine.

Golden Knights and Arizona Airspeed will meet each other at this year's USPA Nationals before the reigning 4-way world champions will try to defend their world championship title a few weeks later. Airspeed will then meet a different HayaBusa lineup in North Carolina, where David Grauwels will be back on camera, Jeroen Nollet (Tail) and Neal Willems (Inside Center) in their usual rear piece slots.

The currently running CISM event in Hungary is not the first time that Golden Knights competed for the U.S. delegation at a military world championship. In fact, there was a previous duel between Golden Knights and NMP PCH HayaBusa for the CISM gold medals in 2007.

NMP PCH HayaBusa - Golden Knights at the CISM World Championship 2007

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David Grauwels remembered the previous battle with the Golden Knights on the top of a CISM leaderboard, and his brother Andy Grauwels, coach of the Qatar Tigers, will probably have the same memories. Together with Roy Janssen they had just joined the Belgian military services after the 6th place at the FAI/ISC world championship in Gera 2006. Luc Verstrepen replaced Sven Ibens in 2007, who could not make the same move, Danny Jacobs was filming the new Belgian military 4-way team.

They represented Belgium at the CISM World Championship 2007 in their first year as Belgian soldiers, and they met the Golden Knights lineup with Kurt Isenbarger, Brian Krause, Matt Davidson, John Hoover and Larry Miller on camera in India. Both teams had posted previous scores on a similar level, and an exciting competition could be expected.

The situation in India 2007 was also very similar compared to the current CISM World Championship in Hungary. NMP PCH HayaBusa had built a 3-point lead after the first four rounds, and they lost it all in Round 5. The 2007 lineup recovered quickly and won the next two rounds to save a 1-point advantage over the finish line. NMP PCH HayaBusa have won every single CISM World Championship ever since, with Dave Grauwels in each of the lineups. He won his first CISM gold medal over the Golden Knights as outside center, all 14 following titles as inside center. Now he tries to defend the CISM title against the new Golden Knights lineup in his slot of the past 18 CISM years. He probably still wants it just as much as he wanted it in 2007, as the NSL News reported on 20 October 2007.