‘THE most daring’ freerunning competition in the world has been won by a Dorchester teenager after three days of lively competition.
Travis Verkaik came first in the Red Bull Art of Motion – a competition that sees the world’s best freerunners put on gravity defying shows with rooftop jumps and tricks.
The 19-year-old scored 15 points from the maximum 21 available to claim victory in what is known as one of the toughest freerunning competitions in the world. Over the three days of competition held on a Greek island, Travis managed to secure a first, second and third place in each of the challenges.
Fellow competitor and athlete, Ed Scott, came in at second place, making it three years in a row he has taken the runner up spot.
Read more: Former Dorchester student launches plant-based business in London
Travis Verkaik said: “I can’t believe it, this is unbelievable. I used to watch Red Bull Art of Motion when I was only 11 years old with my friends and to win it is a dream come true.
“When we were doing the 60 second video challenge, I had a great day, it was awesome, and it helped towards me winning. On my last run, someone said, ‘send it’ and that’s exactly what I did.”
The competition sees Greek island, Astypalea, turned into a playground for the 16 competitors who are from every corner of the globe. There, they take on three unique challenges. The first, the ‘Exploration Challenge’, saw athletes create videos that show their unique style – Travis came second in this round and claimed five points.
Read more: Dorset tourism spots win big at VisitEngland Awards for Excellence
He managed to take the maximum number of points in the second round, the ‘Spot Challenge’, which asks the athletes to create a video completing never attempted before setups on the rooftops of the buildings.
In the final event, the ‘Live Challenge’, the freerunners had just three attempts to hit their best trick in under 10 seconds, with the athletes being judged on creativity, difficulty, flow, execution, and overall performance. Travis claimed third place in this round which secured enough points to take the overall victory.
Red Bull athlete Dimitris ‘DK’ Kyrsanidis, said: “That was a crazy event, it was one of the craziest experiences ever. The final event was incredible to see.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here