posted Aug 7th, 2026 - The NSL News review of the combined AAA Class leaderboards in 4-way Open and 4-way Women at FAI World Championships continues with the event in Gera 2006. The previous outdoor world championship had taken place two years earlier, following the change in the rotation between world championships and world cups in 2003/2004. The national teams from the participating countries once again had two years to prepare for the sport’s most important competition.

This was the fourth time that a separate 4-way Women leaderboard was used with the same competition draw as in 4-way Open. Once again, the best 4-way Women team placed 7th on the combined AAA leaderboard, while the second team in the separate category also made the Top 10. Perris Airkix, the British national 4-way Women team, added a second set of FAI gold medals to the first one that V-Max had won for the British delegation at Spain 2001.

Teams from Great Britain and the United States now shared the gold medal positions in 4-way Women equally, taking turns between 2001 and 2006. U.S. team Synchronicity won in 2001 and 2004, V-Max in 2003, and Perris Airkix in 2006. FAI silver and bronze medals in 4-way Women were shared between Norway, Sweden, France, and Russia at the first four 4-way Women events. However, there was still one female 4-way competitor who outscored all of the 4-way Women world champions.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2004			1	2	3	4	5	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		N,20,16	K,J,C,G,3	D,19,B,6	L,14,10	F,17,M,2	Total	Avg
1	Perris AirKix	UK	16	23	19	15	22	95	19.0
2	France	FR	17	22	18	14	18	89	17.8
3	Ladybirds	RU	12	16	15	13	17	73	14.6
4	Elsinore Select	US	12	15	17	12	17	73	14.6
5	Focus Remscheid	DE	12	16	14	10	14	66	13.2
6	Infinity	NL	10	15	14	11	14	64	12.8
7	Norway	NO	9	14	14	11	15	63	12.6
7	Switzerland	CH	12	14	13	9	15	63	12.6
7	Alfa-Fox	UA	11	14	14	11	13	63	12.6
10	Australia	AU	10	14	14	10	14	62	12.4
11	Spain	ES	9	12	8	8	10	47	9.4
12	South Africa	ZA	9	12	10	6	9	46	9.2

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Featuring the first female 4-way Open Class world champion: Natasha Montgomery

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In Gera 2006, Natasha Montgomery became the first female 4-way competitor in history to win an FAI gold medal in 4-way Open. Only Eliana Rodriguez has achieved the same since then, winning her gold medal with Arizona Airspeed’s Odyssey lineup (Craig Girard, Mark Kirkby, Andy Delk, and Steve Nowak on camera) at Maubeuge 2008.

Natasha Montgomery had the resources to hire three player-coaches, and on 22 December 2004, she announced that Gary Smith, Shannon Pilcher, Ian Bobo, and Thomas Hughes on camera for her new DeLand Fire lineup in 2005.

Her new team won the Shamrock Showdown 2005 and placed second at DeLand 2006 behind Sinapsi PD, with Pete Allum in the lineup. This came just a few months after Natasha Montgomery had suffered a hard landing that caused compression fractures of her second and third vertebrae in the lower spine. She had to rest for six weeks before returning to training and competing at the Shamrock Showdown 2006.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2006			1	2	3	4	5	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open/Women Combined		N,20,16	K,J,C,G,3	D,19,B,6	L,14,10	F,17,M,2	Total	Avg
1	DeLand Fire	US	20	27	25	17	28	117	23.4
2	Gap Nice Icarius Autrement	FR	17	25	23	21	25	111	22.2
3	Sinapsi PD	IT	19	26	22	19	24	110	22.0
4	Sky Panthers Barkli	RU	21	23	23	17	25	109	21.8
5	Arcteryx	NO	18	25	21	17	24	105	21.0
6	Spa HayaBusa	BE	19	25	18	17	23	102	20.4
7	Perris AirKix	UK	16	23	19	15	22	95	19.0
8	EADS	DE	17	23	20	16	18	94	18.8
9	Danez	DK	15	22	15	17	21	90	18.0
10	France	FR	17	22	18	14	18	89	17.8
11	Spain	ES	16	18	17	14	19	84	16.8
11	Evolution	CA	15	14	19	14	22	84	16.8
13	Team 42	SE	13	20	17	14	17	81	16.2
13	British Army	UK	14	21	16	12	18	81	16.2
15	Voodoo	ZA	15	20	15	12	18	80	16.0
16	Punky Fish	NL	16	13	17	14	19	79	15.8
17	Airtite	AU	12	17	17	13	17	76	15.2
18	FILA	AT	13	16	16	12	17	74	14.8
19	Ladybirds	RU	12	16	15	13	17	73	14.6
20	Elsinore Select	US	12	15	17	12	17	73	14.6
21	Japan	JP	12	18	14	12	15	71	14.2
22	CTR Optimum	BR	13	14	14	12	17	70	14.0
23	Sky Service	CZ	12	16	13	11	14	66	13.2
23	Focus Remscheid	DE	12	16	14	10	14	66	13.2
25	Infinity	NL	10	15	14	11	14	64	12.8
26	Norway	NO	9	14	14	11	15	63	12.6
26	Switzerland	CH	12	14	13	9	15	63	12.6
26	Alfa-Fox	UA	11	14	14	11	13	63	12.6
29	Australia	AU	10	14	14	10	14	62	12.4
30	Magic 4	LT	9	14	11	9	8	51	10.2
31	New Zealand	NZ	10	11	11	7	11	50	10.0
32	Spain	ES	9	12	8	8	10	47	9.4
33	South Africa	ZA	9	12	10	6	9	46	9.2
34	Kazakhstan	KZ	8	6	7	6	13	40	8.0
35	Estonia	EE	4	7	7	7	9	34	6.8
36	Ireland	IE	6	6	7	4	6	29	5.8
37	Cyprus	CY	3	7	7	5	4	26	5.2

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DeLand Fire at the Shamrock Showdown 2006

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Five months after the Shamrock Showdown, DeLand Fire won the 4-way Open Class gold medals in Gera, Germany. They finished ahead of Sinapsi PD and the French national team in 4-way Open, and 22 points ahead of the best 4-way Women team (117–95) after only five competition rounds in Germany. Sinapsi’s Arianna de Benedetti also stood on the 4-way Open Class podium and received the bronze medal in this category. Sinapsi finished 15 points ahead of Perris Airkix (110–95) after Round 5.

Last but not least, there was one more female 4-way competitor who finished ahead of all the 4-way Women medal winners. Ditta Valsdottir competed for Norway’s national 4-way Open team, Arcteryx, who finished in 5th place, five points behind the bronze medalists in 4-way Open and ten points ahead of Perris Airkix in 4-way Women.

The NSL News reported yesterday that Ditta Valsdottir is back—or perhaps still—in 4-way action, stepping in once again to fill an open slot on Norway’s national 4-way Women team, Thyra. It will be her fifth outdoor world championship in the 22 years since 2004.