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The incident occurred on Thursday night, already during the first flight of the race. During it, a task was planned: “Hunting foxes”.
According to the rules, the first balloon that rises, the “fox”, descends after a while, and the target is placed there, a large cross. Athletes ascending behind the fox should fly to that location and drop the markers as close to the center of the target as possible.
The flight started in good weather: it was sunny, the right wind was blowing, it was true that the clouds were already visible in the sky.
Photo by Kęstutis Petronis / The first flight of the competition started in good weather
Soon the weather changed dramatically: the capital was hit by a very severe storm. After a hot day, it rained with thunder and lightning, and some of the city streets even became impassable.
The changing weather forced pilots to find a place to land as soon as possible. Several had to descend into a stronger wind. A balloon crew member suffered severe shock during landing. It is true that the injury was not as serious as it initially seemed. An initial examination suggested that the clavicle was broken, but then hospital doctors found only a severe bruise.
Like a portal 15 minutes Tadas Gegevičius, the organizer of the championship, who also participates in it, said, the weather on the first night of the first flight of the competition deteriorated unpredictably, so several balloons had to land in difficult weather conditions.
“The pilots demonstrated their mastery and all the balloons were successfully landed on the ground. The plane’s navigator tried to hold it to the ground when the balloon landed, but a gust of wind shook the dome and the balloon bag easily damaged it, he said. “A bone fracture was diagnosed after the initial examination, but after a thorough examination in the hospital, the diagnosis was not confirmed: a woman was diagnosed with a severe bruise.”
VIDEO: During the balloon flight, a storm hit – the journey ended face to face with moss
According to T. Gegevičius, this unpleasant and painful incident will not allow the team to continue participating in the championship, but other athletes continue the competition and on Friday morning they made an “incredible flight, completing five sports tasks”.
During the first flight, a balloon was hit, its dome ripped. The organizer noted that similar events in the competition, when the participants or the team are affected, are not inevitable.
Photo by Kęstutis Petronis / Vilnius has not seen so many balloons flying at the same time since the 2003 European Championship.
“Riding a balloon, like other technical sports, is sometimes dangerous for the athletes involved. They compete to achieve the best possible results, so the speeds are much higher than in normal conditions, “emphasized the interlocutor.
How 15 minutes It has already announced that the Vilnius Balloon Championship, which runs until Sunday, is the first such competition in the world since the coronavirus outbreak. More than two dozen athletes compete for the title, including not only Lithuanian champions, but also European and world champions.
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