posted Jul 2nd, 2026 - There are many good reasons why Niklas Hemlin appears regularly in NSL News coverage. The NSL Profile provides extensive information about his life and career in the world of formation skydiving competition, although it would benefit from more frequent updates to reflect his ongoing activities.

However, he has remained just as busy with his coaching commitments as he was during his competitive career, when he won three FAI Outdoor World Championship titles (2012, 2022, 2024), along with numerous world cup and indoor medals, before retiring from Arizona Airspeed at the end of the 2024 season. The last time Niklas Hemlin joined NSL Talk was in January this year, when the main topic was the build-up to the Wind Games 2026.

Now, almost half a year later, the NSL News audience has another opportunity to see and hear Niklas Hemlin on NSL Live Talk. Even the live coverage of the Paraclete XP Summer Classic 2026, with Golden Knights coach and Arizona Airspeed advisor Niklas Hemlin on site, did not include a conversation with him, while the team captains and videographers were available. As with the teams, finding the right time and setting for an NSL Live Talk with Niklas Hemlin proved to be a challenge. However, he promised to share his thoughts and observations in a new edition of NSL Live Talk at the next opportunity, and that opportunity finally came during a short break in his recent coaching odyssey.

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NSL Live Talk with Niklas Hemlin on 1 July 2026

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The main topics of this new conversation included Niklas Hemlin's transition from full-time training and competition to full-time coaching. Although he has stepped away from full-time competition, he has not retired as a skydiver and competitor. In fact, he plans to become active again as a player-coach, similar to the role he had with his indoor team Tunnel Vision. That project came to an end when his partner, Michelle Karamon, was recruited by Arizona Airspeed.

Without the commitment of an active team, even in the role of a player-coach, he can now devote his full attention to what is currently his most important coaching assignment. The Golden Knights have one clear goal this year, a goal that Niklas Hemlin shares with the team: to have their names engraved on the William H. Ottley Sword, awarded to 4-way world champions and often referred to as the 4-way Excalibur. Golden Knights captain Jesse Stahler already has his name engraved several times on the plaques of the 8-way Excalibur, while no Golden Knights member has yet earned a place on the 4-way sword.

William H. Ottley's gift to the 4-way and 8-way formation skydiving competition community is the sport's most prestigious award. Only outdoor world champions have the privilege of keeping the two swords until the next FAI Outdoor World Championship, usually for two years, before passing them on to the next champions. The names of all team members, including team videographers and official alternates, are permanently engraved on the respective plaques. The Golden Knights face formidable opposition in their quest to take home the sword. None of the members of the two current top 4-way teams in the world, Aethers and Golden Knights, have their names engraved on the 4-way sword. So far, only the names of their direct rivals this year, NMP PCH HayaBusa's David Grauwels, Dennis Praet, and Jeroen Nollet, appear on the 4-way sword.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2018			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Top 10		21,L,B,G		22,18,17		19,7,O		J,16,12		10,A,D,15		Q,M,F,C,N		H,20,P,13		6,14,11		E,2,5		4,1,3		Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	32		21		27	-2	24		22	-3	62	-2	22	-2	20	-1	27	-1	22		279	27.9
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	26	-5	21		27	-1	24		24	-1	60	-1	26		22		27		20		277	27.7
3	Aerodyne Realfly	FR	29	-1	19		24	-2	23		24		52	-3	20	-3	17	-3	24		19		251	25.1
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	24	-2	14	-1	24	-1	21		22		53	-4	21	-1	18		20		17		234	23.4
5	Echochamber	SE	25	-1	16		21	-1	17	-2	20	-1	48	-4	14	-3	18		21	-1	15	-1	215	21.5
6	Amnesya	IT	24	-2	14		20	-1	18		18	-1	48	-5	18		14	-2	21	-1	15		210	21.0
7	Satori XL	UK	21		14	-1	21		19		19		37	-3	19		17		18	-1	16	-1	201	20.1
7	Airheads	CH	22	-3	14	-2	19	-2	17	-1	18		44		16		16	-2	18	-1	17		201	20.1
9	Evolution	CA	21	-1	13	-2	22		18	-1	15	-3	43	-2	15	-5	15	-2	19		15		196	19.6
10	Airbus FSZ Saar	DE	21	-1	14	-1	17	-5	17		16	-1	45	-1	15	-3	14	-1	18	-1	15		192	19.2

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NMP PCH HayaBusa - Arizona Airspeed at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2018

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Niklas Hemlin knows very well what it means to win the 4-way Excalibur, an honor that is often earned after an even tougher battle than in 8-way competition. He claimed his first FAI Outdoor World Championship 4-way title with Arizona Airspeed at Dubai 2012 after a nail-biting one-point victory over NMP PCH HayaBusa and a dramatic finish in Round 10. David Grauwels, inside center, and point Dennis Praet by then, were Niklas Hemlin's direct opponents in 2012. This year, they will once again be trying to add their names to the 2026 4-way Excalibur plaque, while Niklas Hemlin hopes to see the Golden Knights' names engraved on the sword instead.

He remembers the drama in Dubai and the significance of taking home the 4-way sword very well. He is equally familiar with the other side of the story. During the NSL Live Talk conversation, he explained how his Arizona Airspeed lineup in Australia 2018 spent the season chasing NMP PCH HayaBusa, the reigning 4-way world champions after their victories in 2014 and 2016.

Arizona Airspeed's situation in 2018 closely resembles that of the Golden Knights this year. Niklas Hemlin is keenly aware of those similarities and has shared his own experiences with the U.S. Army team. The 2018 Airspeed lineup spent the season trying to catch HayaBusa's signature lineup and still trailed by six points after Round 6. They responded by winning the next two rounds to draw level heading into the decisive Round 10. This time, however, the Belgians had the final word and secured the world championship by two points. Coach Niklas Hemlin is determined to help the Golden Knights challenge Aethers in a similarly intense battle this October, with NMP PCH HayaBusa pursuing the same goal.

FAI Dubai Mondial 2012			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open - Top 10		5,12,E		6,D,B,K		O,8,7		N,13,18		10,21,M		19,H,11		C,G,1,A		20,9,15		16,F,P,Q		2,J,4		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		34		27	-1	22		23		23	-2	32		25		40		26		279	27.9
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	25	-1	34	-2	27	-1	21	-1	23		24	-1	32	-1	27		40		25	-1	278	27.8
3	Aerodyne Aerokart	FR	26		30	-2	27		21		23		25		29	-1	23	-2	37		24		265	26.5
4	Evolution	CA	22		31		24		17	-1	19	-1	21		28		22		30	-2	22		236	23.6
5	Sky Panthers Barkli	RU	19	-2	29	-1	22	-1	21		21		18	-2	28		20	-2	35		20	-1	233	23.3
6	Satori	UK	18		26		21		17		15	-3	18	-1	23		17		27		18		200	20.0
7	eX3MO	IT	17	-1	24	-2	20		14		17		19		22		18	-1	28	-1	-		179	19.9
8	Paratec-Saar	DE	18		26		21		13		14	-2	16	-1	21	-3	18		30	-1	-		177	19.7
9	Rotor Out	AU	14	-2	25	-1	18	-1	15		17		18		22	-1	17		28		-		174	19.3
10	Bardagi	SE	17		26		20		14		16		15	-2	23		17	-2	24	-2	-		172	19.1

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Arizona Airspeed - NMP PCH HayaBusa at the FAI Dubai Mondial 2012 - Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/Skydive Dubai

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