Saturday night saw the culmination of the Paper Plane World Championships as the Red Bull Paper Wings World Finals 2009 reached their climax in Salzburg, Austria. After two days of intense competition in the categories Longest Distance, Longest Airtime and Aerobatics it was Brazil, Japan and Croatia celebrating the podium.
A total of 253 athletes from 83 nations pushed the limits of physics with nothing more than a sheet of standard A4 paper this weekend as Red Bull Paper Wings returned after its successful debut in 2006. Participants included from the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen, Kuwait, Lebanon, Iran and others.
The path to the World Finals in Salzburg was long and difficult, with the 253 pilots representing their countries in Austria having to prove themselves against an incredible 37,017 competitors taking part in 613 qualifying tournaments across the globe.
In the Longest Airtime category it was Leonard Ang (BRA) who used the official Paper Plane World Championship paper (80g/m2) to best effect as his plane touched down after a flight lasting 11.66 seconds.
Japan’s Takeshige Kishlura Kisshii took first place in the Aerobatics category ahead of Poland’s Tomasz Chodyra. “Flying here to the World Championships was my first ever time in a real plane! Now I’m off back home as champion! Nobody will believe me when I get back to Japan,” laughed a delighted Kisshii after claiming victory.
Jovica Kozlica (CRO) was the only champion from 2006 able to defend his title in 2009 as he once again secured top spot in the Longest Distance category with a throw of 54.43 metres. “I slept with an ice pack on my shoulder last night. Three weeks of intensive training had taken their toll on my throwing arm,” admitted the Croat after crowning himself Red Bull Paper Wings World Champion for the second time in succession.
The Saudi team participated in the finals (2 boys and a girl) included the winners of the each category in the Saudi qualifications which held last March. Ziad Al-Khelewi (Prince Mohammed Bin Fahad University) has ranked 20th globally in the Longest Airtime Category, while Adul Elah Ismaeel (King Abdul Aziz University) ranked 35th in the Longest Distance Category and Dowa Mufti (King Abdul Aziz University) ranked 54th in the Aerobatics Category.
