By KING CORTEL
True-blue Cebuano William Pardis landed seventh overall in the recently concluded 19th FAI World Paragliding Championships in Castelo, Brazil.
Pardis, who elected himself to representΒ the Philippines, finished his best record as his previous was 80th in four FAI sanctioned cross country (XC)* world championships.
“My mother is Filipino and I grew up in Cebu before moving to the US,” said Pardis in explaining why he is carrying the Philippine colors on his competitions.
He also added that he is proud of his roots in Cebu, not just by blood but also of how heΒ started inΒ sports. “Started when I was 11 years old untilΒ I was about 18 yearsΒ old. That background really built my foundation for adventure sports. These days, I regularly go to the gym to stay in shape as fitness is a big part of keeping sharp in paragliding,”
The gruelling multiple-tasks cross country paragliding meet saw Pardis in the unfamiliar territory being on the top for three days including topping one of the tasks.
“It’s a long competition and a very tight one against the very best in the world. I dropped to 10th on the last day but finished strong to recover the 7th overall place,” explained Pardis, who spends his own money toΒ compete.
Pardis however, listed his business in Seattle, Washington – www.pardisbros.com as his sponsor in the world championships. He said he works really hard so he can earn more money and time to train and compete. “Competing became more than just flying, it turned into a lifelong pursuit.”
With his current world ranking at 84, he hopes that there will be a steady growing awareness of paragliding in the Philippines. “Any support from the Philippine government or sports bodies or from the private sector would be a big help not just for me.”
Pardis’ world ranking was due to limited competitions. He only garnered an accumulated 268.4 points for being the first Filipino to win the US Open of Paragliding, 4th place finish in the 6th British Winter Open, 12th in theΒ Copa Niviuk 2025 II Edicion and 21st finish in the Niviuk Open Colombia.
“In July, I won the US Open of Paragliding and earned the title of US Champion. It was a huge milestone for me because I went up against the best US pilots. And coming out on top showed me that my years of dedication and training were paying off,” Pardis highlighted his achievement while competing for the world championships.
His US Open title was no fluke as he bested all American pilots in Castelo.
*Cross-country (XC) paragliding championships involve pilots flying a course defined by GPS turnpoints and a goal, with the fastest pilot to complete the course winning the day’s task. The winner of the task is determined by a complex scoring formula, and overall winners are selected after a series of daily tasks, usually 50-150km long, over 10 days. Pilots use GPS devices to record their flight path, and the fastest times and longest distances flown are used for scoring.Β Β
(William Pardis, the US Open Paragliding Champion)
π· Contributed
