Parachuters grab 18 golds at 37th World Military Parachuting Championship

Ye Xiaoli is overcome with emotion after winning the gold for the Women Individual Accuracy category in the 37th World Military Parachuting Championship in Qionglai, Sichuan province, on Oct 21. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Ye Xiaoli was so overcome with emotion after winning the gold medal for the Women Formation Skydiving category at the 37th World Military Parachuting Championship on Thursday that she was speechless.

Ye won the gold for the Women Individual Accuracy category of the World Military Parachuting Championship on Oct 21.

"In 2009, she won the gold in the same category in Slovakia," said her husband Liang Yong, an ace for the August 1st Parachuting Team who won the gold for the Men's Team Accuracy category with other four teammates.

The couple took home three of the 18 gold medals at the 37th World Military Parachuting Championship in Qionglai city, Sichuan province.

The golds for the Men's Individual Accuracy, Women Team Accuracy and Men Formation Skydiving categories went to Abdullah-AL-Maqbali from Oman and the teams of Belarus and Belgium.

The August 1st Parachuting Team won the golds for Men Team Accuracy and Women Formation Skydiving for the first time since the team was put together 55 years ago.

"The August 1st Parachuting Team had won many golds in the World Skydiving Championship, World Military Parachuting Championship and World Military Games, but never golds for the Men's Team Accuracy and Women Formation Skydiving categories before the 37th World Military Parachuting Championship," said Chen Wei, chief of the August 1st Parachuting Team.

"Never before had the August 1st Parachuting Team been among the top three in the Women's Formation Skydiving category," he said.

Ye Xiaoli parachutes in a training session. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Organized by the People's Liberation Army air force and co-sponsored by Sichuan local governments, the 37th World Military Parachuting Championship ran from Oct 14 to 25.

"A total of 370 competitors from 31 countries such as China, the United Arab Emirates, France, Indonesia, Pakistan, Netherlands, Russia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Chad, Czech Republic, Zimbabwe and Australia competed in events such as accuracy, formation skydive and style competition," said Shen Jinke, an information officer with the PLA air force.

"It is the first time the World Military Parachuting Championship, which is one of the 26 sporting events of the International Military Sports Council, has been held in China," he said.

The annual World Military Parachuting Championship had been held exclusively in Europe and the United States until this year.

The International Military Sports Council, founded in 1948, is one of the largest multi-disciplinary organizations in the world. It organizes various sporting events for the armed forces of its 133 member countries.

Its motto is friendship through sport, aiming to promote various military sports and foster friendship among armed forces of member countries. Its ultimate goal is to contribute to world peace by uniting armed forces through sports.

It has 26 sporting events such as basketball, parachuting, aeronautical pentathlon, boxing, sailing, military pentathlon, cycling, shooting, naval pentathlon, equestrian, skiing, fencing, swimming, track and field, football, taekwondo, cross-country, marathon, golf, triathlon, handball, volleyball, judo, wrestling, modern pentathlon and orienteering.

The parachuting event is judged on accuracy, style and formation skydiving.