06 Aug 2022

Pasquale Biondo (ITA) on his gold win at the 11th FAI World Paramotor Championships

The 11th FAI World Paramotor Championships took place in Saquerema, Brazil in April 2022, with optimum conditions for flying. It was the first time that the competition was held on the American continent and the first opportunity for pilots to compete since Covid. A total of 14 nations were represented by 70 pilots. There were three categories: landplanes flown solo (RPL1T) or as a pair (RPL2T), and solo foot-launched (RPF1T).

The French took gold in the overall nations, with a total of six teams taking places on the podium. Local Brazilian pilots gained two bronze medals and gained a silver medal overall. The team from Qatar took the bronze overall.

See all results

Italian pilot Pasquale Biondo took a gold medal against 43 other pilots in the PF1T solo foot launched. With seven titles of Italian Champion, and a previous bronze in the 2016 World Championships in England, this pilot has some impressive credentials, but how did he rate his gold-medal performance in 2022? He shares his thoughts in an interview:

Firstly – congratulations for your 1st place. You must have been pleased with your performance, how did the competition go for you?

I'm never usually happy with my performance, I always think that I could have done better! I made some mistakes because of which I had a 100% penalty, but luckily in the other tasks I got high scores and this allowed me to win the championship.

How was the site? Have you flown in Brazil before?

I had already flown to Brazil during a 2011 slalom competition in Santos. The flight site and aerological conditions were fantastic. We flew over mountains, hills, plains and near the sea; thermal activity started already in the early hours of the morning.

Tell us a little about how you started in your sport, please, and how long you have been competing?

I started getting interested in flying when I was a kid following my father's passion who flew both paragliding and paramotor. This strong passion has guided the choices of my life from studies to professional activities.

I did my first competition in France in 2005 and since that time I fell in love with paramotor competition.

What other competitions are you participating in this year?

In the first weeks of October I will participate in the Italian Paramotor Championship.