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Czech pilots Jiří Pruša and Eliška Kudějová climbed into the Shark 600 on 23 August 2023, slipping off their shoes to further reduce the aircraft’s weight, in addition to the kilos they had already shed through dieting in the run up to the flight. After a thwarted previous attempt in May, every last gram mattered to the pair’s mission: to beat the record of 1036.073km for ‘Distance in a closed circuit without landing’ set by Hungarian pilot Krisztian Dolhai in 2020. They beat his record by a substantial 876km.

The FAI Microlight and Paramotor Commission (CIMA) had a successful Plenary in Kaunas, Lithuania, from 22 to 24 February. The main focus was on developing the sport for the future, and significant progress was made with several interesting projects, including the awarding of the 2025 World Paramotor and Microlight Championships to France and the creation of a new type of award.

French paramotor pilot Alex Mateos is no stranger to the podium. A six times world champion, he gained his first French title in 2010 and has competed around the world In this interview, he looks back at his significant career which started off as an opportunity to hang out with friends, and shares an insight into how the sport has changed since the early days.