posted Oct 12th, 2025 - The French national team in 4-way Open, Aethers Medjay, made the NSL News headline with a historic performance at the Shamrock Showdown 2025. The current indoor world champions had won their first FAI gold medals by 15 points over Arizona Airspeed after only three point deductions at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2025. Arizona Airspeed's lineup at Paraclete XP in April (Niklas Hemlin, Joey Marshall, Chris Kuhlmann, Doug Handrix) was even cleaner with only two point deductions at the same event.

The same Aethers Lille lineup, still with David Ricard on camera, followed up with the historic performance a week later at Skydive DeLand. The spotless scoresheet was showing the French team 34 teams ahead of the Golden Knights, 37 points ahead of the new Airspeed lineup with Alisson de Vargas for Niklas Hemlin.

The new Airspeed lineup brought down the total of point deductions from nine points at the Shamrock Showdown to two points at Paraclete XP's Summer Classic 2025 in June, while they still ended up 16 points behind the Golden Knights. The U.S. Army team then followed up on their three point deductions at the same event to six penalties at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025, in pursuit of the world’s new 4-way world leader from France. Aethers Lille left five points in the judging room at Skydive Teuge.

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open/Women Combined		B,Q,19,F		G,13,K,A		12,7,8		16,E,6		1,J,9		10,15,21		5,18,L		M,20,11		C,17,2		22,O,P,3		Total	Avg
1	Aethers Lille	FR	36	-2	36		20	-1	25		29		20		24	-1	24		24	-1	25		263	26.3
2	Golden Knights	US	33		31	-2	20		24	-1	27	-1	16	-2	23		24		24		24		246	24.6
3	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	33		28	-3	19		24		30		18	-1	19	-2	22		21	-1	23		237	23.7
4	Nephtys Maubeuge	FR	28		27		17		19	-1	24		17		19		19		19		19		208	20.8
5	SDC Rhythm XP	US	27	-1	22	-5	17		22		21	-3	14	-2	20	-1	18	-1	20		19		200	20.0
6	U.S. Team 1	US	24	-2	21	-2	17		20		24		15	-1	18		19		21	-1	19		198	19.8
7	Skywalkers Junior	CZ	28		22	-2	16	-1	20		23		15	-1	18		18	-1	17	-2	19		196	19.6
8	Echochamber	SE	26		25		16	-1	20		24		12	-1	16	-1	19		18	-1	19		195	19.5
9	Agera	NO	27	-1	23	-1	17		18	-2	23	-1	16		17		17	-1	17	-2	19		194	19.4
10	RhEvolution XP	US	27		22		15		18	-1	21		15		13	-2	17		17		17		182	18.2
11	Out Of The Blue	NL	21	-2	22		13	-2	17		21		14		16		17	-1	17		17		175	17.5
12	AYRO	BE	24		22		13		18		21		12	-1	13	-2	17		17		15		172	17.2
13	Papea	ES	21	-3	22		17		18		18	-3	14		13	-1	15	-2	16	-2	16	-1	170	17.0
14	Thyra	NO	16	-3	17		13		14		16		10	-1	11	-1	12		14		14		137	13.7
15	Chop Chop!	AU	18		16		11		12		16		9		10	-1	14		12	-1	13		131	13.1
16	Les Hermines	FR	17	-2	16	-1	10	-1	12		15		8	-1	10		14		13		13		128	12.8
17	British Army Volt4ge	UK	16		12		10		12		14	-2	11		9	-1	11	-1	10	-1	11		116	11.6
18	XP Angels	US	9	-7	10	-3	9	-2	11		14		9		9		12		12		13		108	10.8
19	Axis	UK	13	-1	10	-2	10		10		14		9		8		11		10	-1	9	-2	104	10.4
20	Perris 4ever	US	13		11		8	-1	9		11		8		8	-1	10		10		11		99	9.9
21	Funky Falcon	NL	11	-2	11	-1	7		9		14		8		8		10		9		11		98	9.8

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Nephtys Maubeuge (FR) at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025

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France still had the cleanest team of the complete horizontal 4-way competition in their delegation, even though the national team in 4-way Open lost their five points in an effort to increase the pace. The French national team in 4-way Women, Nephtys Maubeuge, lost only one single point in the ten rounds and became the cleanest team on the whole AAA Class leaderboard.

None of the teams in the medal positions (Aethers Lille - Golden Knights - NMP PCH HayaBusa) were anywhere close to the scoresheet of the Nephtys with their five (Aethers), six (Golden Knights) and seven (HayaBusa) point deductions. The Nephtys performance at Skydive Teuge also generated the highest French meet average in 4-way Women since 2019.

Clementine Le Bohec (Point), Christine Malnis (Outside Center), Sophia Pecout (Inside Center) and Gaelle Giesen (Tail), with Julie Fournier on camera, had won the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019 with a 20.9 average. Pamela Lissajoux, Alexandra Petitjean, Marie Pineau and team videographer Godeleine de Saint Just had Gaelle Giesen in the new lineup only this year. However, Gaelle Giesen was obviously familiar with the 20+ performance and scoring level, which Alexandra Petitjean and Marie Pineau had just passed in 2024. Outside center Pamela Lissajoux has posted significantly higher meet averages with earlier French 4-way Women lineups, including the 25.7 at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2018.

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total		Avg
Rank	4-way Open/Women Penalty Total		B,Q,19,F		G,13,K,A		12,7,8		16,E,6		1,J,9		10,15,21		5,18,L		M,20,11		C,17,2		22,O,P,3		Total		Avg
1	Nephtys Maubeuge	FR	28		27		17		19	-1	24		17		19		19		19		19		208	-1	20.8
2	Chop Chop!	AU	18		16		11		12		16		9		10	-1	14		12	-1	13		131	-2	13.1
2	Perris 4ever	US	13		11		8	-1	9		11		8		8	-1	10		10		11		99	-2	9.9
4	RhEvolution XP	US	27		22		15		18	-1	21		15		13	-2	17		17		17		182	-3	18.2
4	AYRO	BE	24		22		13		18		21		12	-1	13	-2	17		17		15		172	-3	17.2
4	Funky Falcon	NL	11	-2	11	-1	7		9		14		8		8		10		9		11		98	-3	9.8
7	Echochamber	SE	26		25		16	-1	20		24		12	-1	16	-1	19		18	-1	19		195	-4	19.5
8	Aethers Lille	FR	36	-2	36		20	-1	25		29		20		24	-1	24		24	-1	25		263	-5	26.3
8	Out Of The Blue	NL	21	-2	22		13	-2	17		21		14		16		17	-1	17		17		175	-5	17.5
8	Thyra	NO	16	-3	17		13		14		16		10	-1	11	-1	12		14		14		137	-5	13.7
8	Les Hermines	FR	17	-2	16	-1	10	-1	12		15		8	-1	10		14		13		13		128	-5	12.8
8	British Army Volt4ge	UK	16		12		10		12		14	-2	11		9	-1	11	-1	10	-1	11		116	-5	11.6
13	Golden Knights	US	33		31	-2	20		24	-1	27	-1	16	-2	23		24		24		24		246	-6	24.6
13	U.S. Team 1	US	24	-2	21	-2	17		20		24		15	-1	18		19		21	-1	19		198	-6	19.8
13	Axis	UK	13	-1	10	-2	10		10		14		9		8		11		10	-1	9	-2	104	-6	10.4
16	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	33		28	-3	19		24		30		18	-1	19	-2	22		21	-1	23		237	-7	23.7
16	Skywalkers Junior	CZ	28		22	-2	16	-1	20		23		15	-1	18		18	-1	17	-2	19		196	-7	19.6
18	Agera	NO	27	-1	23	-1	17		18	-2	23	-1	16		17		17	-1	17	-2	19		194	-8	19.4
19	SDC Rhythm XP	US	27	-1	22	-5	17		22		21	-3	14	-2	20	-1	18	-1	20		19		200	-11	20.0
20	Papea	ES	21	-3	22		17		18		18	-3	14		13	-1	15	-2	16	-2	16	-1	170	-12	17.0
20	XP Angels	US	9	-7	10	-3	9	-2	11		14		9		9		12		12		13		108	-12	10.8

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Papea (ES) - XP Angels (US) at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025

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SDC Rhythm XP was one of the teams with the highest number of point deductions, also probably caused by an effort to increase the pace before the showdown with Arizona Airspeed and Golden Knights at the upcoming USPA Nationals 2025. They were actually back to the 21+ average performance level and four points ahead of Nephtys Maubeuge before penalties (213 - 209), while the French 4-way Women team won the actual competition by eight points.

Spain's Papea and U.S. 4-way Women team XP Angels tied the biggest damage with 12 point deductions. Both teams actually did not suffer too much, as Papea missed the Top 10 before or after penalties. The Spanish team would have been much closer to the last Top 10 position though, which RhEvolution XP defended successfully with one of the cleanest performances.

XP Angels, tied with Papea, finished in 18th place on the combined leaderboard and in bronze medal position in 4-way Women, also before or after penalties. The silver medal position at the outdoor world cup was out of reach either way. XP Angels collected the 12 point deductions only in the first three rounds and avoided any trouble in the following seven consecutive rounds. They will be able to show the 12.0 average level or even higher at the upcoming USPA Nationals by copying the quality of the same seven rounds at Skydive Teuge. XP Angels aim at winning the 4-way Women qualification for next year's outdoor world championship later this month.