Cross Country magazine, issue 126
November / December 2009
Three World Champion wins, four European golds and 10 Austrian titles make Manfred Ruhmer a hang gliding legend. After retiring five years ago he made a surprise comeback to competition at this year’s Worlds. Ed Ewing met him
“SOONER OR LATER it will happen. I will get over it.” It is half way through the World Championships and Manfred Ruhmer, three times hang gliding World Champion and four times European Champion is talking about losing. He has just trounced the field with a spectacular win in Task 2, and is feeling good, but I ask what happens if he starts to lose.
He says: “At the beginning, you have to learn to lose to win. Then probably you are able to win. So if I lose again, then that’s OK.”
A week later and he had lost in a fairly startling way, by bombing out on the last task. But sitting in the sunshine of a French morning sipping coffee at a pavement café in Laragne, he is till firmly focused on winning. The field has only flown two tasks. He came in 16th on Task 1 but then showed he still had the Manfred magic by crossing the line on Task 2 literally miles – and 30 minutes – ahead of pretty much everyone else.
Manfred was, as he would say later, “back in the game!” And if he was going to fly like that every day, the other pilots may as well just go home.
He stayed more or less at the head of the field until the last task. But then he bombed, landing after just 17 km of a 154 km race, and blew his chances of winning the World Championship for a record fourth time. His reputation as a god-like pilot who doesn’t make mistakes was also blown. You could almost hear the collective thought ripple through the comp: “He’s mortal after all.”
Subscribe to read the full article (2,700 words)…
“SOONER OR LATER it will happen. I will get over it.” It is half way through the World Championships and Manfred Ruhmer, three times hang gliding World Champion and four times European Champion is talking about losing. He has just trounced the field with a spectacular win in Task 2, and is feeling good, but I ask what happens if he starts to lose.
He says: “At the beginning, you have to learn to lose to win. Then probably you are able to win. So if I lose again, then that’s OK.”
A week later and he had lost in a fairly startling way, by bombing out on the last task. But sitting in the sunshine of a French morning sipping coffee at a pavement café in Laragne, he is till firmly focused on winning. The field has only flown two tasks. He came in 16th on Task 1 but then showed he still had the Manfred magic by crossing the line on Task 2 literally miles – and 30 minutes – ahead of pretty much everyone else.
Manfred was, as he would say later, “back in the game!” And if he was going to fly like that every day, the other pilots may as well just go home.
He stayed more or less at the head of the field until the last task. But then he bombed, landing after just 17 km of a 154 km race, and blew his chances of winning the World Championship for a record fourth time. His reputation as a god-like pilot who doesn’t make mistakes was also blown. You could almost hear the collective thought ripple through the comp: “He’s mortal after all.”
Subscribe to read the full article (2,700 words)…
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