posted Oct 21st, 2024 - It was 14 years ago when NMP PCH HayaBusa left an outdoor world championship without a medal for Belgium in 4-way Open. As a recreational civilian 4-way team, the original lineup (Sven Ibens, Roy Janssen, David and Andy Grauwels, Bruno van den Eede on camera) had worked themselves up from nowhere to the 6th places in Rijeka 2004 and in Gera 2006.

Then they joined the Belgian military forces and won their first FAI medals with the 3rd place in Maubeuge 2008, with Luc Verstrepen as the new inside center for Sven Ibens. Two years later, in Menzelinsk 2010, NMP PCH HayaBusa left empty-handed, again with a new team member, and the Russian Sky Panthers Barkli won the bronze medals.

However, the three original HayaBusa members (Roy Janssen, David and Andy Grauwels) still had only one and the same goal: Bring the William H. Ottley Sword for the 4-way world champions, also known as the 4-way Excalibur, to Belgium. They continued with new team member Dennis Praet, won FAI gold four times, and never left an outdoor world championship without at least a medal position - until September 2024. NMP PCH HayaBusa have won the military CISM World Championship title for Belgium 16th consecutive times since 2007, which is important for their military full-time status, while winning the 4-way Excalibur is still the most meaningful accomplishment in 4-way Formation Skydiving competition.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2024			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		14,G,13		J,C,17,12		D,A,21,P		18,B,H,F		E,L,O,8		22,2,K		6,7,16		9,20,15		3,M,N,4		5,1,10		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	24		27	-1	33		36		31		23		26		26		25		22	-1	273	27.3
2	Aethers	FR	22		23	-4	33		32	-1	29		23		22		21		25		22		252	25.2
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	21		20	-3	26	-2	32		29	-1	20		21		20		19	-2	20		228	22.8
4	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	19		21	-2	25		25		25	-1	20		19		17		21	-1	20		212	21.2
5	Echochamber	SE	17		21	-1	24	-2	26		22	-1	16	-2	20		14	-2	19	-1	17		196	19.6
6	Airbus Illertissen Oceanside	DE	17		19		21	-1	26		23		16		19		15	-1	18	-2	16	-1	190	19.0
7	Agera	NO	14	-1	17	-2	18	-2	26		24		17		17		15		19		17		184	18.4
8	Out Of The Blue	NL	13	-1	17		22	-1	22	-1	22	-1	12	-1	19		14		18	-1	16	-1	175	17.5
8	Apex	UK	15		18		21	-2	25		21	-2	13	-2	18		14	-1	15	-2	15		175	17.5
10	Papea	ES	14	-1	15	-2	23		20	-1	23		14	-2	17		16		13	-1	15		170	17.0
11	Havoc	AU	13		13	-2	19	-1	16	-1	18		13		14	-1	12	-2	16		14		148	14.8
12	Netunos	BR	11		15	-1	17	-1	18	-1	19		13		15		10	-1	14	-1	12	-2	144	14.4

---

Qatar Tigers - NMP PCH HayaBusa at the 26th FAI World Formation Skydiving Championships, Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/ISC/InTime

---

FAI medal winners between 1985 and 2024

---

It was a delicate situation for NMP PCH HayaBusa at the 26th FAI World Formation Skydiving Championships earlier this month. There was no doubt that Arizona Airspeed and the French Aethers would have their hands on the two top position of the 4-way Open Class leaderboard.

Jeroen "Bob" Nollet, in the tail slot for NMP PCH HayaBusa since 2015 and 3-time world champion, featured the meaning of the 4-way award in a video clip that he created after this year's outdoor world championship at Crystal Coast in North Carolina. He witnessed once again how the sword was handed to Arizona Airspeed, who have stored it in Eloy since 2022.

His name is engraved forever on the trophy, together with the ones of his current Belgian team mates David Grauwels and Dennis Praet. Original HayaBusa tail Roy Janssen has had his name on the trophy since 2014, together with Andy Grauwels and HayaBusa world champion videographers Danny Jacobs (2014 - 2016) and Luc Van Britsom (2018).

Neal Willems, who joined the HayaBusa lineup in 2022, already has a 2nd place in his records. However, NMP PCH HayaBusa were miles behind (261 - 228) Arizona Airspeed when they won the silver medals in Eloy 2022. Ray Lodens, HayaBusa's latest new team member, even had to leave the United States without an FAI medal at all in his current collection.

All current HayaBusa members were aware of the situation, and that they would probably leave the competition site empty-handed for the first time since 2010. It still does not change their desire to win Excalibur back and get the missing two names of Neal Willems and Ray Lodens onto the trophy. Jeroen Nollet's video clip made it once again very clear what his team is aiming for.

FAI World Meet 2010			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Finalists		10,7,12	3,11,5	J,M,Q,P,L	19,1,13	N,18,20	K,17,8	2,15,H	4,D,6	O,E,9,G	22,B,16	Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Aerokart	FR	21	22	56	20	22	24	22	24	40	26	277	27.7
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	22	21	53	23	20	24	23	25	40	23	274	27.4
3	Sky Panthers Barkli	RU	19	21	56	21	19	21	23	22	41	21	264	26.4
4	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	21	21	55	20	17	20	23	22	36	18	253	25.3
5	Evolution	CA	19	19	51	20	18	22	21	21	31	18	240	24.0
6	Sinapsi	IT	19	19	49	16	20	17	21	19	37	19	236	23.6

NMP PCH HayaBusa lineups at world championships since 2004

---

It was also unlikely that the new HayaBusa lineup would be able to defeat the Qatar Tigers at this point in time. However, there was at least the potential for an upset if the Qatar Tigers would not perform on their top level. The new HayaBusa lineup provided evidence at Crystal Coast (21.2) that they could perform on the level where the Qatar Tigers were last year (21.5) at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023. The previous HayaBusa lineup had finished far ahead of the same Qatar Tigers lineup in Norway.

The situation was delicate due to the fact that original HayaBusa member Andy Grauwels, 4-time world champion of 2014 - 2016 - 2018 - 2021, has been the coach of the Qatar Tigers since 2023. He knew that he needed a better performance than the one in Norway 2023 to win a medal in 2024. He and the Qatar Tigers were fortunate enough that the Belgians had to digest another personnel change after Michele Silvi left the team last year. The Qatar Tigers delivered successfully and won their third consecutive set of bronze medals, while NMP PCH HayaBusa left empty-handed.

The whole Grauwels family witnessed the drama at Crystal Coast, David on camera for HayaBusa, Andy coaching the Tigers, father Alex as usual as one of the HayaBusa fans. He had his own HayaBusa company of the same generation, as Dennis Praet's father Paul joined him once again on a trip to a world meet, and Ray Lodens' father Pascal joined the HayaBusa family, as well. There is a good chance that they will be back in the Netherlands next year for the outdoor world cup.