Horacio
Llorens
Spain
·
Paragliding
Date of birth | 1 October 1982 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Madrid, Spain |
Age | 43 |
Nationality | Spain |
Career start | 2000 |
Disciplines | Paragliding Aerobatic |
A pioneer of aerobatic paragliding, Horacio Llorens began his life with wings at 14, when watching his cousins fly at his uncle’s paragliding school in the Spanish industrial aviation hub of Albacete.
After training with his cousins Raúl and Félix Rodríguez, he took to aerobatic paragliding, and together they set up the SAT (Safety Acro Team), a team which would travel the world, achieving great success.
At 18, he entered his first competition, one of the very few synchronised aerobatic paragliding tournaments that existed in those days, as the discipline was regarded as too dangerous. Despite the lack of events, Horacio persevered, attempting complicated manoeuvres in a bid to develop the sport. His work paid off; in competition he had advanced much further than anybody else.
Not long after placing second at Red Bull Vertigo in 2002, he found his synchro partner, Argentine Hernán Pitocco. Step by step, Horacio has helped aerobatic paragliding to have a solid place alongside the rest of aerial sports.
He always pushes himself to the limit. In 2012, Horacio smashed the world record for infinity tumbling – achieving 568 revolutions after jumping from a helicopter at 19,700ft (6,000m) above the Mayan ruins of Takalik Abaj in Guatemala and experiencing up to 6G with each rotation.
He’s also a five-time world champion and in 2016 Horacio experienced something unique – night flying in cold temperatures at the Aurora Borealis in Tromso, Norway. In 2017 he won King of Brenta in Molveno, Italy, then in 2018 he won the Aerobatic Paragliding World Tour event in Sonchaux, Switzerland,