Timo Leonetti died this Friday, according to an announcement from the French Free Flight Federation (FFVL).
The 22-year-old young man died following an accident that occurred the day before during the French championships in Haute-Savoie.
It’s a tragedy that shakes the world of paragliding. The French Free Flight Federation announced this Friday, June 14, the death of Timo Leonetti, young paragliding prodigy, after his accident which occurred the day before during the French paragliding championships in Passy Plaine-Joux (Haute-Savoie). Transported “in critical condition” at Annecy hospital, he succumbed to his injuries.
An impressive track record
At just 22 years old, Timo Leonetti leaves behind “an immense void, both with his family, his friends, and the paragliding community”, the FFVL was moved on Facebook. It must be said that this community and its family have always been linked. As recalled Corsica Morning, Timo Leonetti being from the Isle of Beauty, the young man was born with a wing on his back. Son of a couple of paragliding instructors, he took his first flight at 18 months and has continued to break records. Winner of the World XContest two years in a row, in 2022 and 2023, the pilot had multiplied world records.
Recently, he distinguished himself on his homeland, where he set the record for the longest flight ever made on the island by covering 193 km. A track record which earned him the recognition of his peers, as his federation was keen to point out, which praised the “passion” and the “dedication” of the young prodigy. “He was respected and admired by his peers for his expertise and sportsmanship.”
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For the FFVL, this “tragic event” also recalls the primordial importance of safety in the practice of this activity. In 2023, there were 17 fatal accidents according to the federation, most of them between June and September.
