Europe 1 22:19, March 22, 2023

Frenchman Simon Billy, 31, took the world ski speed record by reaching 255.5km/h on Wednesday in Vars (Hautes-Alpes). Shortly before his world record, the speed enthusiast had confided in full in the program "Europe 1 Sport".

By exceeding 255 km/h on the slope of the kilometre launched in Vars, French skier Simon Billy took the world speed record on skis. A performance that also allowed him to win his second speed skiing world championship title, on the occasion of the Speed Masters 2023. Invited on Europe 1 Sport (every evening from 20 p.m. to 23 p.m.), Simon Billy dreamed of this moment: "Since I was a kid, I've been preparing for that day."

255.5 kph

⛷️Congratulations to Simon Billy for this incredible feat! #SpeedMasters#Varshttps://t.co/oFgT5iph4v

— Ministry of Sports (@Sports_gouv) March 22, 2023

"I did the run of my life, I was serene and confident at the start. This record today at home in Vars is a collective victory. As a kid, I attended all the records here (...) Today, it's a childhood dream come true," said Simon Billy. "All the lights were on," summed up Simon Billy who thanked those who accompanied him in this challenge.

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Family of enthusiasts

The Varsin is part of a famous family of speed skiers and has been training since childhood on the Chabrières slope, the only one in the world homologated for speed records. His father Philippe Billy had seized the world record in Vars in 1997 with a top speed of 243.902 km / h. Simon Billy took the world record from the Italian Ivan Origone, flashed at 254.958 km / h in 2016.

With an average speed over 100m estimated at 255km/h, Simon Billy won his second speed skiing world championship title, at the 2023 Speed Masters. Billy started his descent to the top of the resort at 2,715 m, on a track that has 495 m of altitude difference and a maximum slope of 98%, flirting with the vertical.

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Special combination

"My gloves are included in the suit, everything is done to go as fast as possible," explained the French skier. Speed skiers can reach 200 km/h in less than 6 seconds. The discipline, demonstrated at the Olympic Games in Albertville (France) in 1992, did not pass the homologation milestone. The Frenchman now hopes that his performance will make vocations among the youngest.