Kari wrap

The 15th Paragliding World Championships in Feltre have finished... its hard to believe.

I'm so proud to have flown as a member of the Aussie team with the boys over the last 2 weeks. We came here ranked 14th as a nation and after an absolute ton of flying over 11 tasks, we achieved a final result of 5th place!!!! It's a fantastic feeling! 🇦🇺😊🇦🇺

A big congratulations to my team mates - Gareth (top Aussie in 12th!!), Felipe, Steve and Pete - for your results in the last 2 weeks. As a team we came together so well, with each of us stepping up at various points to contribute and get the job done. Thank you to our team leader Dave, who kept us focused and worked endlessly behind the scenes on our behalf. We couldn't have done it without you mate.

Nothing is ever as we expect it to be and the Worlds experience has been no different. Going into the comp I knew I would be working overtime to try to manage stress, pressure and fatigue of a 2 week competition - flying in a new place in big mountains that I am not used to, racing amongst enormous gaggles all day, making sure I was eating and drinking enough, maximising my use of down time to recharge, maintaining my focus etc. And I was tired, I got run down and sick with tonsillitis in the middle, it was stressful at times, there was pressure to perform, the mountains and the gaggles were insane... But through all the chaos and the drama I was surprised to find that for the majority of the time my headspace felt calm and relaxed. I pretty much loved every minute. 😉

In large part I think this was due to the vibe and feeling amongst the team and in the house we have shared for the past 3 weeks. This has been a major highlight of this whole experience for me and amazing to be part of it. A huge and heartfelt thank you to Axa, Louise, Alba, Sa Bine and my Aunty Jillian and Uncle Kel for the time that you spent with us in the Aussie team house. Everyone's support and the happy distractions you provided, were invaluable to help us relax and switch off in between flying.

So my first Worlds are done and I am happy with how I flew. In the Women's Championships I placed 2nd. A very big congratulations to Seiko for defending your title, you flew very, very well to win. It was an honour to fly in such a strong field of female pilots and I have connected with some amazing, inspiring and fun women in the last fortnight. I am also proud to have placed 40th in the overall Championships, out of 150 pilots. 😊

Final results are at: https://airtribune.com/worlds2017/results/task2702/…/overall

Thank you to Feltre 🇮🇹 and congratulations to the CIVL/FAI for a well organised and incident free Worlds, with great tasking in a beautiful location. The Opening and Closing Ceremonies were unforgettable!

Time for a final selfie before I go home!!! 🤓