Around 150 paragliders entered the air and finally crowned their new European Champions after about two weeks of paragliding action: Theo Warden from Great Britain is the winner of the European Paragliding Championship (EPC) in the overall category (=men & women). He is followed by the German Torsten Siegel on rank 2 and Biagio Alberto Vitale from Italy who came in third.France dominated the women category with the new European Champion Seiko Fukuoka Naville (FRA) and her countrywomen Meryl Delferriere (FRA) on rank 2. Yael Margelisch (SUI) came in third. The new European Champion in the team competition is Spain followed by Italy on rank 2 and France on rank 3.The European Paragliding Championship gathered around 150 pilots from all over Europe and invited countries. At this cross country flying competition, the pilots have to complete several tasks to establish the overall classification at the end of the two weeks. The goal of each competition task is to fly round a predetermined course with a start, some turn points (usually 4-6) and a finish line. The winner is the fastest pilot round the course, or the pilot who flew furthest if no one completes the course. Montalegre and its surrounding region have a long tradition of holding top-level international competitions, namely the FAI World Paragliding Championship in 2003 and several World Cup competitions. Montalegre in the north of Portugal offers excellent flight sites, with take-offs in almost all directions. It has been the stage of several international competitions like Paragliding World Cups in 2000, 2012 and 2015. The flying site offers a wonderful landscape with high mountains and open valleys. The Serra do Larouco is located in the region of Trás-os-Montes, in the famous Terras do Barroso, on the border between Galicia and Portugal. It’s part of the mountain range of Peneda-Gerês, which includes the third highest point of Continental Portugal, with 1,545 meters altitude. The place is perfect and secure for cross-country flights. It’s especially good for local triangle flights of up to 100km as demonstrated in the last World Cup events.

Results

Top 3 EPC Overall (Men + Women)
1 Theo Warden (GBR)
2 Torsten Siegel (GER)
3 Biagio Alberto Vitale (ITA)

Top 3 EPC Women
1 Seiko Fukuoka Naville (FRA)
2 Meryl Delferriere (FRA)
3 Yael Margelisch (SUI)

Top3 EPC Nations
1 Spain
2 Italy
3 France