Contestants of the 2nd Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship during a test flight
On October 13, 2013, the 2nd Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship concluded at Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie. After two days of aerial speed racing among 14 elite wingsuit flyers from seven countries, Colombia’s Jonathan Florez won the championship with a time of 23.40 seconds, defeating all other competitors. First-time participants Noah Bahnson from the United States and Vincent Descolas from France secured second and third places with times of 23.60 and 23.74 seconds respectively.
As the first global top-tier industry event since the birth of wingsuit flying, the Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship entered its second year in 2013. The competition featured a speed race format, where the pilot with the shortest time along the designated course wins. This year's race used the same course as last year, spanning approximately 1.2 kilometers. Pilots had to navigate around a fixed marker mid-air before crossing the cable car line to mark the finish. The event lasted two days, with two rounds of racing each day. The best score from one of the two daily rounds was used for ranking, and the top eight qualifiers from the preliminary round advanced to the finals the next day. In the inaugural 2012 Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship, South Africa’s Julian Boulle claimed the title with a time of 23.41 seconds. The top eight from the first edition, along with six qualifiers from the Swiss pre-selection, formed the lineup of 14 contestants for this year’s race.
During the preliminary round on October 12, Britain’s James Boole, who placed third in last year’s event, won the first place with a time of 23.56 seconds. Norway’s Espen Fadnes and first-timer Vincent Descolas from France ranked second and third respectively. Defending champion Julian Boulle and 60-year-old veteran Tony secured the seventh and eighth places, just making the cut for the finals.
On October 13, the finals of the 2nd Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship unfolded as scheduled under perfect weather conditions—calm winds and sunshine—at Tianmen Mountain. During the first round, France’s Vincent Descolas temporarily took the lead with a time of 23.74 seconds, closely followed by the preliminary leader James Boole by just 0.01 seconds, showcasing the fierce competition. “Even though Vincent’s wing had some flutter at the start, he adjusted quickly, maintained an excellent posture afterward, and made great turns, which must have put quite a bit of pressure on the other competitors,” commented Jeb Corliss, American wingsuit pilot and technical director of the event. However, that pressure transformed into motivation for the pilots to fly even faster in the second round held in the afternoon, leading to the real showdown in the final jump.
Red Bull-sponsored pilot Jonathan Florez, who ranked fifth in the preliminaries, emerged as the biggest dark horse of the competition. In the second round, he achieved the best time of the two-day event—23.40 seconds—and claimed the championship. Moreover, he broke last year’s record set by Julian by 0.01 seconds. “I’m incredibly excited. Representing 47 million Colombians to compete in China is my greatest honor,” said an ecstatic Jonathan, who couldn’t wait to take off his wingsuit and parachute at the landing site and started celebrating even before changing out of his gear. He had not been entirely satisfied with his performance earlier in the week, but today’s result left him in disbelief. “I tried to keep my body at about a 45-degree angle when turning, which helps maintain speed and stability. My strategy today was different from previous days—I didn’t accelerate too much during the descent, but instead gained speed through adjustments while turning. Also, I wore a smaller wingsuit today, which reduced air resistance and allowed me to fly faster,” Jonathan explained regarding the technical details of his final jump.
“Jonathan’s win comes down to his intense training this summer. Additionally, he boldly switched to a new wingsuit in the finals—a bit of a risk, as he hadn’t tried it before during these days—but it suited the warmer weather perfectly and ultimately helped him secure the title,” said Jeb, who watched all the races, after the event. “Meanwhile, James, whom we had high hopes for, made a small mistake today—his turn was too wide, affecting his speed, possibly due to an unstable takeoff.”
Jeb also provided a summary of this year’s competition: “The overall skill level of the athletes has improved compared to last year, and the winning time is faster, making the championship more valuable. Technically, we made adjustments to the timing system for greater accuracy and added split timers at the midpoint marker, helping athletes better review their performance post-race. Another notable improvement is the higher precision in wingsuit manufacturing this year. Athletes not only need strong technical skills—their suits can also give them a performance edge.”
Appendix: 2nd Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship Final Rankings
1. Jonathan Florez (Colombia) – 23.40 seconds
2. Noah Bahnson (USA) – 23.60 seconds
3. Vincent Descolas (France) – 23.74 seconds
4. James Boole (UK) – 23.75 seconds
5. Julian Boulle (South Africa) – 23.85 seconds
6. Espen Fadnes (Norway) – 24.00 seconds
7. Jon Devore (USA) – 24.09 seconds
8. Tony (UK) – 24.52 seconds