Freerunning at the Santorini Caldera

On the “Parkour Island” for the International Red Bull Art of Motion Competition

Oia, Santorini, October 1, 16:00. The sun, still high in the sky, is blazing down on our heads. Most people are wearing hats, while others have turned their tops into turbans for cover. We’re situated at various points around Santorini’s caldera – in courtyards or on rooftops, bell towers and little terraces. There are a lot of us here, about 3,500 spectators. The initials “D.K.”, heard all over as the crowd calls out, stand for local hero Dimitris Kyrsanidis, a Greek contestant who has captured first place at the Red Bull Art of Motion World Championships on two previous occasions. We’re all anxious to see whether he will win again this year. It won’t be easy; he’s up against 14 other finalists.

It’s fair to wonder why nobody thought about staging this competition here sooner than they did. Santorini is the most ideal natural spot, a parkour paradise. The contestants at this year’s 6th Red Bull Art of Motion event agree that the location is perfect; as one athlete put it, it is as if “the Greek gods created this island for all of us who do the jumping around.”

“It’s fair to wonder why nobody thought about staging this competition here sooner than they did. Santorini is the most ideal natural spot, a parkour paradise.”

Each year, hundreds of contestants from all over the world, along with their friends, meet up on here on this island. Santorini, formed by countless volcanic eruptions, is world-famous for its spectacular scenery and unique beauty. For these daredevil contestants, the curved white buildings which seem like a natural extension of the island represent an ideal challenge and they respond by offering thrilling performances against a sunset backdrop.

Most contestants have backgrounds in gymnastics. Many of them first took up freerunning as a hobby with their friends but now work as stuntmen and stuntwomen. For most of the participants, city buildings and other urban settings serve as their gyms and practice areas, but a number of this sport’s athletes began at the beach, practicing dives into the water and training on the sand before moving to cement surfaces.

Today’s event is very challenging and suitable only for advanced freerunners. In it, the contestants are judged based on execution ability, flow, creativity and the degree of difficulty of their respective runs. When this year’s event finally begins, I’m already biting my nails. The experience is overwhelming. “Make some nooooise!!,” the announcer calls out, and we all applaud as we watch each freerunner leap from one wall to another, performing back flips, twists and somersaults. At the same time, the individual songs selected by participants for their respective routines blare out from the PA system. Each time the contestants disappear out of view momentarily, we crane our necks anxiously to make sure that they’re safe, that this routine is not their last. Drones in the air above them and cameramen on the ground capture the full routines, one-and-a-half minute performances that have the potential to make them world champions or take their lives.

When the event is over and my heartbeat and pulse rate are back to nearly normal levels, I ask the contest’s eventual winner, Bart van der Linden, a truly flying Dutchman, what freerunning has taught him about life, and he tells me: “It became my life. It taught me to respect the environment and other people. It’s like meditation for me. Every time I go out of the comfort zone, face my fears and achieve my thing, it gives me a feeling of satisfaction. I began doing this when I was 12, along with my friends in a small Dutch town, and had no idea what I was doing until I saw a video on YouTube and understood that it’s a real thing. Right then, I decided that this is what I want to do in my life. And now, here I am; the winner of the world’s biggest competition. I can’t believe it.”

“But it’s only fair that women can also be involved in freerunning, and I like that we have a separate competition award. There are more of us each year!”

The competition also includes a Best Female Award, which this year is won by Lynn Jung from Luxembourg. Asked what her mum thought when she realized her daughter had taken up freerunning, Jung replies: “Even today, when it was my turn to compete, my mum cried. Generally speaking, she’s not that happy about what I’m doing. But it’s only fair that women can also be involved in freerunning, and I like that we have a separate competition award. There are more of us each year!”

It’s easy to understand the enthusiasm that Bart and Lynn have for their sport, particularly when you see a competition like today’s event. It’s been an amazing day in a spectacular place, and as I walk away, I can hardly stop myself from trying a move or two of my own.