Reunion Island’s top paraglider aims high

In the mountains above the town of Itea in the Fokida region of central Greece, the qualifying was held for the World Cup Paragliding, and Sebastian Coupy, Reunion Island’s top paraglider, was of co

In the mountains above the town of Itea in the Fokida region of central Greece, the qualifying was held for the World Cup Paragliding, and Sebastian Coupy, Reunion Island’s top paraglider, was of course there. This was a decisive step for the Reunion champion, who needed to collect valuable points to qualify for the circuit of the World Cup 2016.

In total, no fewer than 55 pilots from across the globe made the trip to Greece, including 4 from France. Of the 5 races scheduled, 2 were suspended for safety reasons, firstly because of the rain and partly because of much too strong gusty winds. The other 3 stages were tabulated at respective distances of 62 km, and 37 km, and finally a race of 100 km.

Third in the standings before the final round, the Honorary Ambassador of Reunion Island finished well and was confident that he could keep a respectable lead over other competitors alongside an Italian – winner of the competition – and an Israeli. But the top got caught in the end, thanks to a shorter transition mid-course spotted by one of the Greek pilots. In the end, only the Italian retained first place overall, while Sebastien Coupy meanwhile ended with a respectable well-deserved sixth place. A second competitor from Reunion Island, Michel Rullier, also finished in the top 10.

With sixth place in the pocket, the balance sheet remains very positive for Sebastien Coupy after he accumulated enough points that allows him to access the final round of the World Cup circuit in October 2016. Until then, the other Reunion Island pilots can still win qualifications during the pre-World Cup to be held at the end of September in Saint-Leu.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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