Danish skydiver Mads Jensen died on Wednesday afternoon during a training jump in Klatovy in the Czech Republic.

Jensen, 44, was part of the ‘CP Elite Project 2015’ team. Four jumpers and their trainer were in the Czech Republic, training for championship competition in a discipline known as ‘Canopy Piloting’.

“They are at a training camp,”  a spokesperson for Dansk Faldskærms Union (DFU), the Danish parachute union, told Ekstra Bladet. “We are not exactly sure what happened, but something went wrong with his chute during a training exercise.”

Colleagues shocked and saddened
Jensen was considered one of the best skydivers in the world. Fellow jumpers have taken to social media to express their condolences, and his colleagues in the Czech Republic have been devastated by the loss of their friend.

“They are deeply affected and have been offered psychological assistance – either where they are or when they come home,” said DFU. “They have jumped together for many years.”

Knew the risks
DFU said that serious accidents are a rarity, but jumpers know the dangers inherent in their sport

“There are always risks in this kind of sport,” they said. “It’s not like running where you might get a pulled muscle. When it goes wrong, it can be fatal.”