The 12th World Wingsuit League (WWL) Wingsuit Flying World Championship will take place from September 6 to 12 on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province. During the event, 16 wingsuit flyers from 10 countries will compete in speed race and the precision target race.

Chinese competitor Zhang Shupeng participates in the Wingsuit Flying World Championship. (File photo/Xiang Tao)

The takeoff platform is set on the Yuhu Peak at an altitude of 1,458 meters atop Tianmen Mountain. The vertical drop between the takeoff and landing points is 990 meters (equivalent to the height of a 300-story building), with an aerial distance of about 1.3 kilometers. The variable air currents in the mountains make every takeoff, turn, dive, and targeting a comprehensive test of the competitors' skills and mental fortitude.

According to the rules, in the speed race, athletes must turn in the airspace in front of Tianmen Cave after takeoff, pass through the gate set below the square in front of Tianmen Cave, and then turn again and fly into the canyon, with the cableway rope as the finish line to end timing. Each competitor will make two runs with the best time counting as their final result.

In the precision target race, the targets are suspended between mountain gaps in front of Tianmen Cave Square. Each target is placed 15 meters above the ground with a bullseye diameter of just 0.04 meter, about the size of a mineral water bottle cap. Athletes must hit the bullseye at a speed of about 200 kilometers per hour, and they will have two attempts, with their total points determining the final score.

French competitor Ambroise Serrano hits the target in the 2024 Wingsuit Flying World Championship. (File photo/Yang Huafeng)

According to the organizer, the event has strict selection requirements. Competitors must have completed at least 500 low-altitude wingsuit flights and 1,000 high-altitude wingsuit flights before their registration. They must submit complete flight logs and flight video footage for verification before being shortlisted.

Among the 16 selected competitors this time, the youngest is 22-year-old French competitor Mateo Massoni, and the oldest is 59-year-old Croatian veteran Robert Pečnik. In addition, "familiar faces" such as Australian veteran Tahi Munroe, who won the speed race at the 2024 and 2025 Wingsuit Flying World Championships, French competitor Ambroise Serrano, winner of the 2024 precision target race, and Zhang Shupeng, China's top wingsuit flyer, have also confirmed their participation.

According to the schedule, the finals of the speed race and precision target race events will be held on September 11 and 12, respectively.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: Chinanews