Driving on the highway, he would have been stripped of his license. And his car. The French Simon Billy went quickly, very quickly this Wednesday, March 21 in the morning on the Chabrières track, in Vars. This track is special: with 98% inclination, at an altitude of 2,750 m, the extreme skier has reached the mind-blowing speed of 255.50 km/h perched on two small boards. This is the new world record for the discipline.
The old record dated back to 2016 and was held by Italian Ivan Origone who had been set at 254.958 km/h. Thanks to this performance, the 31-year-old Frenchman is at the same time crowned world champion in speed skiing. He was already the title holder. “It’s the run of my life! The one I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, tells the new world record holder to our colleagues from Dauphiné. It’s on a day like this that we break all the locks. You put your skis flat, you lower your head and you go flat on your stomach in the cells, it’s really committed. In January, Billy had already hurtled down the slopes at breakneck speeds during two rounds of the World Cup, notably peaking at 219 km/h.
Among the ladies, Sweden’s Britta Backlund won world gold but without a world record at the end of her attempt.