International Competitions
Open only to selected members of the Groupe France.
Within the Sports Committee, under the responsibility of the National Technical Director and the coaches, the best pilots selected at the French Championship are chosen to defend France's colours at international level in the European and world championships (1 year in 2).
Technical skills are necessary, but we also pay close attention to the personal qualities that are essential to winning team medals and to group cohesion.
High-level competition helps to advance techniques, equipment and the reliability of our machines, and through them, safety.
World Paramotor Slalom Championship 2022 - Strachotin (Czech Republic)
END OF THE SLALOM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
PF1 podium
Alexandre Matéos (1st); Naif Al-Baloshi (2nd); Jérémy Penone (3rd)
PL1 podium
Saeed Al-Marri (1st); Boris Tysebaert (2nd); Milan Klement (3rd)
Saturday 17 September
Finals day! Luckily, the wind was calmer today than earlier in the week and the finals were able to take place normally. Of the 4 finals, 3 French pilots were represented: Alexandre Matéos (PF1) and Boris Tysebaert (PL1), who were playing for the World Champion title, and Jérémy Penone, who was playing for 3rd place in PF1.
The day began with the PL1 class, with a final 2nd place for Boris Tysebaert, who lost 2 rounds to 1 to Qatar's Saeed Al-Marri.
Our French pilots had more success in PF1, with victories for Jérémy Penone against Hayan El-Hebabi and for Alexandre Matéos against Naif Al-Baloshi.
Thursday 15 September
As announced yesterday, this morning's weather did not allow the competitors to fly a single round. The forecast suggests take-off may be possible late in the afternoon.
Wednesday 14 September
Unfortunately, the fine weather did not last. Wind and rain are back in the south of the Czech Republic and there were no flights today. The forecast is poor for tomorrow (Thursday) morning. We hope our pilots will still be able to fly some events.
Tuesday 13 September
AT LAST! Our French pilots were finally able to fly their first competition flights. 5 rounds were flown today over the course of the day. Watch the video of the day, with flights by Boris Tysebaert and Alexandre Matéos and commentary from Pascal Vallée, by clicking below:
Monday 12 September
The day was rainy and windy again. The competitors were able to launch into a round late in the afternoon, but unfortunately it had to be cancelled because visibility was not good enough to ensure the pilots' safety. Round cancelled; see you tomorrow, when the weather should allow the pilots to fly.
Sunday 11 September
Today was supposed to be the start of the competition. Unfortunately, the weather did not allow the competitors to try their luck. The weather should be kinder tomorrow afternoon.
Saturday 10 September
No flights on the programme today, but the opening ceremony! No fewer than 40 pilots in foot launch (PF1) and trike launch (PL1), from around fifteen countries, are here to compete for the titles at stake. The competition starts tomorrow and runs until Saturday 17 September 2022.
From left to right in the photo: Thomas Golze (staff); Jean-Emile Oulha (PF1); Yann Leudiere (PL1); Nicolas Aubert (PF1); Boris Tysebaert (PL1); Gaetan Magnan (PL1); Marie Mateos (PF1f); Alexandre Mateos (PF1); Jérémy Penone (PF1); Cyril Planton (PF1); Pascal Burel (staff); Morgane Planton (PF1f)
The French Team at the opening ceremony © FFPLUM
Thursday 8 and Friday 9 September
Over these two days, our French pilots were able to size each other up and practise on the various courses set up by the organisers. Our pilots got to see the lake where the competition will take place from Sunday 11 September.
Wednesday 7 September
The 2022 Slalom French Team arrived in the Czech Republic yesterday, 6 September 2022, to take part in the Slalom World Championships. Today was devoted to administrative formalities. Training flights start tomorrow!
The team is made up as follows:
France Squad training in Bornos
The FFPLUM staff are starting their second official training session with a view to selecting the 2022 French Team, which will defend its paramotor slalom world title won in 2018 in Egypt. The aim is to continue preparing our pilots and equipment over these 4 days at competition conditions and level. 10 pilots, including two women, will make up this team to represent France in the Czech Republic from 7 to 17 September. Follow our competitors by clicking this link!
2022 World Paramotor Championship - Saquarema (Brazil)
France wins the paramotor world title
The French Classic Paramotor Team wins the supreme title ahead of Brazil and Qatar at the world championship. Organised for the first time on the American continent by the Brazilian federation, this world championship brought together the 14 major nations of the discipline and 70 pilots.
France fielded its best pilots in a renewed selection. Our 14 competitors took part in their first international competition since the Covid-19 crisis.
At the end of this international competition, the French Team won 3 gold medals, including the nations title. In total, 6 French crews appear on the various podiums.
In single-seat foot launch (PF1), Cyril PLANTON and Jean-Émile OULHA take second and third place respectively. Boris TYSEBAERT wins the gold medal ahead of Michael MERLE (silver medal) in the single-seat trike category (PL1). Finally, in two-seat trike (PL2), Oriane and Fabrice BREUZARD, daughter and father, win the gold medal ahead of Stéphane CLAVURIER and Cyril PASQUIER, silver medal.
Despite some technical and mechanical setbacks related to fuel and local conditions, the French delegation was quickly able to put its strategy in place to achieve the targets set by the French Microlight Federation. For this first edition in Brazil, it is worth noting the strong mobilisation of the local business and political community of the Saquarema region to welcome all the competitors, who came from around the world.
Next September, the French Team in the Slalom discipline (recently recognised as High Level) will defend its world title in the Czech Republic.
Podium photos
Nations podium. From left to right:
🥈 : Brazil ; 🥇 : FRANCE; 🥉 : Qatar
PF1 podium (foot launch). From left to right:
🥈 : Cyril PLANTON (France); 🥇 : Pasquale BIONDO (Italy); 🥉 : Jean-Emile OULHA (France)
PL1 podium (single-seat trike). From left to right:
🥈 : Michaël MERLE (France); 🥇 : Boris TYSEBAERT (France); 🥉 : Marcelo MARTINS (Brazil)
PL2 podium (two-seat trike). From left to right:
🥈 : Cyril PASQUIER & Stéphane CLAVURIER (France); 🥇 : Oriane & Fabrice BREUZARD (France); 🥉 : Valcir AIRES (Brazil)
© James Simon Lugada / FFPLUM
Final results
Foot-launch paramotor results (PF1)
Trike take-off results (PL1 & PL2)
On 12 and 13 February 2022, the members of the France Squad were in Anères (Hautes-Pyrénées) for a training session ahead of the World Championship in Brazil. At the end of the weekend, 14 pilots were selected to represent France.
As well as consistent performances, it was the technical qualities and the ability to perform under pressure in the French Team that were assessed over the two days.
Of course, the staff also drew on the experience gained and the commitment of the pilots and crews to finalise the list of selected members, who will meet in Saquarema, Brazil (140 kilometres east of Rio de Janeiro) in several categories: men's and women's foot launch, single-seat and two-seat trike launch.
Two-seat trike paramotor at Anères ©Marc Georgelin
Here is the list of the 14 selected:
Nicolas AUBERT (PF1)
Fabrice BREUZARD (PL2)
Oriane BREUZARD (PL2)
Stéphane CLAVURIER (PL2)
Alexandre MATEOS (PF1)
Marie MATEOS (PF1)
Romain MAUBAN (PF1)
Michael MERLE (PL1)
Julien MEYER (PF1)
Glenn MICHELLAND (PL1)
Jean-Emile OULHA (PF1)
Cyril PASQUIER (PL2)
Cyril PLANTON (PF1)
Boris TYSEBAERT (PL1)
2021 Polish Open - International Paramotor Slalom Competition
Since 31 July 2021, 5 of our best paramotor competitors (Alexandre and Marie Matéos, Jérémy Penone, Jean-Emile Oulha and Yann Leudière) have been in Jutrosin, Poland, about an hour north of Wroclaw. They will compete in an open paramotor slalom competition against the best pilots in the world. Training began on 31 July 2021, while the competition will start on 3 August 2021.
Follow our competitors by clicking here!
2020 Polish Open - International Paramotor Slalom Competition
The Polish slalom championships, the Polish Open, ended last Saturday after 6 days of flying and 22 events.
There were 28 pilots competing in the PF1 class (foot launch) and 8 in the PL1 class (trike). The event was the biggest international slalom competition this year, with pilots from France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Greece and Hungary.
It was members of the French Team who took the top two places, Alexandre Matéos and Nicolas Aubert. Alexandre also won 20 of the 22 events on the programme.
Many other competition pilots were genuinely impressed by the performance of Marie Mateos, the best female pilot in the world. She finished 6th overall, leaving many truly good and experienced pilots far behind her.
The result:
1. Alex Mateos (FRA) - Freeride 14
2. Nicolas Aubert (FRA) - Freeride 14
3. Dimitris Kolliakos (GRE) - ITV
4. Lubos Halama (FRA) - Freeride 15
5. Lorenzo Mallegni (ITA) - Freeride 15
6. Marie Mateos (FRA) - Freeride 14
7. Bartosz Nowicki (POL) - Freeride 15
8. Milan Clement (CZE) - Serpent mec
9. Marcin Bernat (POL) - Serpent mec
10. Victor Rodriguez (SPA) - ITV
Congratulations to all the French pilots who took part in this competition!
Podium with Nicolas Aubert (left) and Alexandre Matéos (centre)
Paramotor World Championships in Brazil - June / July 2020 - Postponed
The French paramotor team was due to be in Brazil from 24 June to 4 July to defend the national colours against the best pilots in the world! This competition has been postponed to 2021.
The French Team trained at Lake Serre-Ponçon. Summaries and photos by clicking HERE
Competition in Bornos - October 2019
An international Category 2 paramotor competition is being held in Bornos this October 2019. Several members of the French Team are there to represent the national colours. Read the reports and impressions of Gaëtan MAGNAN, Jérémy PENONE, Marie and Alexandre MATEOS, Nicolas AUBERT, and Yann LEUDIERE!
From left to right: Jean Matéos; Gaëtan Magnan, Manon Cottel, Jeremy Penone, Nicolas Aubert, Marie Matéos and Alexandre Matéos
Kneeling: Yann Leudière
Day 2
Gaëtan: 8th. Despite the same position, I feel closer to the pylons with my wing. Fairly satisfied with my performance, I made no mistakes on the courses, which is very important. The waiting time between rounds, and the time gaps separating me from the others, leave points that are hard to handle mentally. I stay true to myself, zen, calm and focused. For tomorrow (Saturday), I plan to maintain my level and secure the points. Once the CUT is done, I will give it everything so as to have no regrets and go after the pilots ahead of me. My equipment: snake xx 15 Dudek, Macfly Thor 250, two-blade propeller 140.
Jérémy: 7th. I was more on the attack, but it changed nothing in the ranking. I don't have the result I was hoping for. Mentally I was fine, despite the wait between each event, but it gave us time to go over the courses. As for the weather conditions, they were perfect for slalom. I made no mistakes on the courses and gave my best. The competition is very strong and the competitors fly much faster than me. For tomorrow I don't think I'll reach my goal unless one of my rivals makes a mistake. I will still give 100%. My equipment: warp 15 Dudek, ALS Thor 250, eprops four-blade propeller 135
Marie: 4th. When I don't make mistakes, I place quite well in the ranking. We flew more than yesterday, which is more fulfilling (4 flights). The aim for tomorrow is not to put pressure on myself, so as to fly clean courses and be consistent, which is my weak point, through lack of training. My equipment: a freeride 14 Ozone, Macfly THOR 250, Eprops two-blade propeller 140
Alexandre: 1st. The second day went well. The Serre-Ponçon training is paying off, with 3 French pilots in the top 4. The training gave us a strategic advantage. I'm satisfied with my performance, even though my rivals are catching up and closing the time gap. My goal: stay ahead. Tomorrow I won't attack, I'll stay at 80%. If there's any danger, I'll go to 100% to secure my first place.
Nicolas: 2nd. I'm very happy with today's performances. Despite the very high level, I'm starting to feel better and better with the wing. With 4 pilots ending up in the water, the mental wait is tiring. This is the first week I've flown this wing. I'm fairly calm and relaxed. Tomorrow, I'll give everything from the first event. I want to win ahead of Alexandre. My equipment: a freeride 14 Ozone, PAP 250 1500, Helix four-blade propeller 140.
Yann: 4th. Today I wasn't in it, thrown off on my first pass when the previous competitor ended up in the water. I had to land while they got him out of the water, and I lost my focus a little. Same for the second pass, with a foot launch. It created waiting and so stress. I'm still focused on the rest of the competition and will give my all to go for the podium. My equipment: warp 16 Dudek, P2AIR 64, Thor 250 trike, mini-light, eprops four-blade propeller 130.
In conclusion: We still have 5 French pilots in the top 10 in foot launch and one pilot in 4th place in trike. Today, 4 flights for the foot launches and 3 flights for the trikes. For info, we are at the 6th round, so everyone's worst round is dropped, which explains the various changes in the ranking. We are really well looked after by Danièle, who prepares good meals to set us up for the day and also prepares cool boxes every morning with drinks and things to eat. Jean helps us at take-off: if we make a mistake, he hands us the wing back and removes the various things that can catch on the lines, namely twigs and grass roots.
A big thank you to them
Day 1
Gaëtan: 8th after the first two rounds. 1st and 2nd passes: quiet, to be safe, with a margin that I'll try to reduce on the next courses. I've got used to the equipment I'm flying, namely a Macfly THOR 250 instead of a 200, and with a 140 cm two-blade propeller instead of a 130 cm three-blade one. I'm using Jeremy's wing, which has finer settings than mine (snake XX 15 DUDEK). As for the ranking, I wasn't expecting any particular place, but given the times of the pilots ahead of me we are 6 within the same second, so nothing is impossible when it comes to gaining places. For tomorrow I plan to go up a notch to gain a few places. My equipment: snake xx 15 Dudek, Macfly Thor 250, two-blade propeller 140.
Jérémy: 6th. For the moment I don't have the result I hoped for. I was in the competition straight away, but I approached these first two rounds flexibly and I'm going to attack more in the following rounds to gain places. My goal is to be in the top 5. I'm confident and comfortable with my equipment. The key is to be safe and not make mistakes in order to reach my goal, given the competition present. For the rest, I'm going to be more aggressive in my flying, something I didn't do on this first day. My equipment: warp 15 Dudek, ALS Thor 250, eprops four-blade propeller 135.
Marie: 7th. 1st pass: some difficulty getting into the competition. A technical error on the second course cost me precious seconds. Happy to be competing and to have so many nations taking part, which creates enthusiasm around the championship. My equipment is the same as in Egypt, but so as not to be confused with Alexandre I wear a fluorescent bandana on my right arm (even though our levels are different). For the rest, I want to stay focused on my own performance without letting the ranking results affect me. My equipment: a freeride 14 Ozone, Macfly THOR 250, Eprops two-blade propeller 140
Alexandre: 1st. The conditions were a little difficult, both weather-wise and mentally, in terms of getting into the rhythm of the competition. For the 2nd round, I was more in it and more focused. I was waiting for the 3rd event but the strong wind picked up. I'm happy with my results but I'm holding something in reserve. I'm carrying on like this to validate and keep my first place and make no mistakes. I'm sticking with my equipment (Ozone freeride 14, Macfly Thor 250, Eprops 140 four-blade propeller); I've known it for 2 years and I don't need to change it given the current competition. I need to get into the rhythm earlier, as we only fly in the mornings because the wind picks up quickly. I'll continue in this vein, and if I feel my opponents are close, I'll push my performance to 100%.
Nicolas: 2nd. First week with this wing (freeride 14 OZONE), not yet comfortable under it. I felt good in the 1st round, but I wasn't going flat out and held back a bit because I wasn't very comfortable. In the 2nd round, I felt an imbalance coming out of a turn, which slowed me down a little and I eased off the pace. For my paramotor, I fly a PAP Thor 250 1500 with a Helix four-blade propeller. I'll keep feeling good with my wing, but I'll hold something in reserve and save my best performance for the final phases.
Yann: 3rd. I didn't feel 100% in it, despite a nice pass on the first course according to the other pilots on the team. We flew 3 courses for the trikes; I'm not at full performance and I'm playing safe on my courses so as not to make mistakes. I feel very good with my equipment. For the rest, I'll stay with my own performance and not be influenced by the ranking, which can change at any moment.
In conclusion: For the moment we have 5 French pilots in the top 10 in foot launch and one pilot in 3rd position in trike. For info, every 6 rounds, each pilot's worst round is dropped. We have a very good staff, namely Daniel and Jean Mateos for catering logistics and technical assistance, and Manon COTTEL, who sends us the times in real time on the WhatsApp group we set up to communicate and pass on information
2018 PARAMOTOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 10th Paramotor World Championships
Pasak Jolasid Dam in Lopburi - Thailand 
27 April to 6 May 2018
The 2018 Blues are Champions in Thailand
The French Team, made up of 13 competitors including 11 crews, wins second place at the 10th Paramotor World Championships held from 27 April to 6 May in Thailand.
>>> read more
THE RESULTS
2018 PARAMOTOR SLALOM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 3rd Paramotor Slalom World Championships
Lake Bayoum, Faiyum - Egypt
27 October to 7 November 2018
Golden Blues in Egypt!
The French Team, made up of 10 competitors, wins first place at the 3rd Paramotor Slalom World Championships held from 27 October to 4 November at the lake site of Fayoum in Egypt.
>>> read more
