Wingsuit flying is a skydiving discipline and extreme sport which relies on the use of a wingsuit — a specialized jumpsuit comprised of two arm wings and a leg wing, which adds surface area to the human body to increase lift and allow wearers to fly impressive horizontal distances at a slower descent rate, thus increasing their time in freefall.
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© Photo : Nikon
A team of female Russian athletes has set a national women's record with an impressive wingsuit formation flight on July 29 at the Krutitsy airfield in Ryazan Region.
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The jump was simultaneously performed by 19 women.
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The team’s wingsuit formation was observed by judges from the Federation of Parachuting Sports of Russia, which is why the record is considered official.
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Along with all the necessary documents, judges will hand over photographs and a video of the jump to the World Air Sports Federation (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI) to register the record.
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Russian wingsuit flyers had three days to set the record. The first successful jump was made by 15 female athletes on July 28. The next day, the formation was created by 19 flyers in their third attempt.
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A view from the plane before the jump.
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Athletes began training for the jump in April, with the start of parachuting season.
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The only previous women’s wingsuit formation in Russia was completed by 12 athletes. This record wasn’t officially documented.
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“In Russia, there are not so many women engaged in wingsuit flights at a professional level. Some athletes had to be trained for the team flights from the beginner level,” Gleb Chekmenev, a senior wingsuit coach at Russia’s Federation of Parachuting Sports, commented on the record. According to him, this achievement surpassed some of the other countries’ national records. For example, the maximum number of athletes in the wingsuit formation of Italy was 17, and in Brazil – just 10.
