US skydiver Curt Bartholomew swoops in for victory at FAI World Air Games

Parachutist Curt Bartholomew triumphed in the classical canopy-piloting competition at the FAI World Air Games in Dubai yesterday.

The US skydiver was among the favourites from the start. 

“It means everything,” he said. “This is my fifth world title. I was pushing to get this one before I turned 30 because this is the last recognised FAI world title I haven’t won yet.” 

Classical canopy piloting is a graceful, fast-paced discipline that is judged on accuracy, distance and speed. 

Bartholomew’s performance gave him the edge over his US teammate Nick Batsch, who takes the silver medal. 

Cornelia Mihai, part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) team and the only woman in the competition, came in third. 

“It was one of the tightest in a while, it came down to the last jump,” Bartholomew added. 

Earlier in the day, hot air airship pilots and balloonists put on a display, and the UAE Airforce Aerobatics Team wowed the crowd with their performance at the Palm Dropzone. 

The International Symposium on Air Sport Medicine also got underway.