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226 Pecan Street
Deland FL 32724
tel: (386) 801-0804
© 2003 - 2026
All Rights Reserved
supported by:
Mathieu Bernier had already shared insights on April 16th while his team was still in training. At that time, the main topic was the challenge of managing double duties in both 4-way and 8-way at the same event. He previously accomplished this outdoors at the world championship in Menzelinsk 2010, and he guided Aethers and Nephtys to their impressive 8-way performance at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2026, where France won gold medals in both 4-way Open and 8-way.
The conversation with the complete lineup last Sunday returned to the record-setting performance of the Aethers, 
who continue to raise their scoring level. As mentioned in the previous update, the French national team is focused on the task at hand—winning the outdoor world championship in October this year at Skydive Arizona. They have their own unique ways of reinforcing that focus, reflected in the messages displayed on their helmets. Tom Mattoni explained the meaning of “Excellence – Patience – Confidence” for the team, along with the inclusion of the names of all past French 4-way world champions on their helmets.
1st Bob Hallett Memorial 2026 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total | Avg | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | AAA Class | P,12,7 | N,L,2,H | 13,4,3 | E,J,6,Q | K,O,B,8 | D,5,21 | 19,22,A | F,9,14 | 15,18,1 | 16,G,17 | Total | Avg | |||||||||||
| 1 | Aethers | FR | 26 | 33 | 23 | 37 | 28 | -1 | 27 | 25 | -1 | 29 | 18 | -1 | 25 | -1 | 271 | 27.1 | ||||||
| 2 | Golden Knights | US | 26 | -1 | 29 | -2 | 20 | -1 | 31 | -3 | 27 | 25 | -1 | 22 | -1 | 25 | -1 | 19 | 21 | -1 | 245 | 24.5 | ||
The most recent French names engraved on the William H. Ottley Sword for 4-way world champions—also known as the 4-way Excalibur—belong to the 2010 world champions: Guillaume and Mathieu Bernier, Julien Degen, Jérémy Rollett, with Olivier Henaff on camera. It was the same event where Mathieu Bernier uniquely accomplished the double-gold feat.
Twelve other French names are also inscribed on the 4-way Excalibur, dating back much further. France dominated 4-way competition from 1987 to 1993. Philippe Schorno, Eric Fradet, Jérôme Buncker, and Frank Mahut won the first gold medals for France in 1987 and successfully defended their title with the same lineup in 1989. Philippe Schorno and Eric Fradet then continued with two new teammates, Jerome David and Patrick Saget, adding two more 4-way gold medals to their record.
Arizona Airspeed’s original lineup ended the French dominance in 1995 and repeated their victory in 1997, before Martial and Marin Ferre, along with Davide Moy and Thierry Boitieux, reclaimed the title for France in 1999. Davide Moy and Marin Ferre continued their success, winning again in 2003 with Julien Losantos and Erwan Pouliquen completing the lineup.
The Aethers are well aware of this history and appear determined to end France’s gold-medal drought. They began with their current lineup and a fourth-place finish at Eloy 2022, followed by a silver-medal performance at Crystal Coast 2024.
One current team member has been pursuing a return to gold for much longer. Damien Gouriou, flying the point slot for the Aethers, has been part of French national 4-way teams at outdoor world championships since 2014. This year’s world meet will mark his seventh attempt to win the 4-way title. His name is not yet engraved on the 4-way Excalibur nor displayed on the Aethers’ helmets. He and inside center Alban Rumolo have been teammates since Tanay 2021, missing the medal podium twice before the Aethers' current lineup rose to the top of the world rankings. That is the position they aim to hold—at least until October this year.
