Sky's the start for World Champ

3:55pm Monday 21st August 2006

FORMER model Emma Beyer has just been crowned skydiving world champion - six years after she jumped out of a plane for a laugh.

The 33-year-old from Beaconsfield was part of the four-strong British team that won the World Championships in Germany last week.

She said: "It's absolutely brilliant. To think we are actually world champions is quite unbelievable. All the hard work has paid off. When we started we set our goal to reach the championships, we trained really hard but never really expected to go the whole way.

"Our team had only been together for 16 months, it's a dream come true to win.

"It is fantastic we're all completely elated."

Beyer is married to her former coach the mens world champion skydiver Gary Beyer, making them the first married skydiving champions.

But the thrillseeker was a late starter in the sport and confessed she's now addicted to it.

She said: "I'd always wanted to jump out of an aeroplane and tried a tandem jump six years ago - after that I was hooked.

"There's nothing like skydiving - it's the closest thing to actual flying you can get - I don't understand why more people don't want to try it.

"I was the CEO at a company in London before all of this. I've remortgaged my house to cover the costs.

"You could say I'm a little bit mad but I don't regret any of it. It's been hard work but I've had the time of my life.

"Sky diving is an expensive sport and to start from being a beginner to get this far does cost a lot of money for equpment, training and coaching but this really does make it worthwhile."

The British team beat the favourites from France by six clear points, and in sky diving terms it was a drubbing for their rivals across the Channel.

Beyer said: "The French had been together for four years and were always going to be the most dangerous. They beat us at the World Cup last year and they won the first round but we beat them in every round after and winning by six points is like winning 6-0 in football, quite a beating."

Beyer and her colleagues are now looking to turn professional.

She said: "It's a risky step to take but we think we're good enough.

"We beat the British Army comfortably in Germany who were six rankings below us and now we want the chance to compete alongside the mens teams regularly in open competition."

Beyer is back in action in Yorkshire this weekend hoping to win the National Championships.

If you would like to see more of the team visit their website at www.teamairkix.co.uk.

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