Number 8 Pavel Kashin
Pavel Kashin was, at one point, considered one of the best parkour athletes in the world.
The St. Petersburg tracer was known for pushing the boundaries of the discipline. It was this
drive that eventually led to his untimely death, in 2013. At the time, Kashin was performing
a backflip on the narrow ledge of a 16-floor building. Unfortunately, he lost his footing in
the landing, which caused him to plummet more than 200 feet below. A haunting photo of the tracer’s
final moments, showing him in mid-air, started circulating online in the aftermath of his death.
Kashin’s parents allowed its release, hoping it would act as a deterrent to anyone who considered
performing similarly dangerous stunts. What Is It?
Parkour is a discipline of movement that involves physically navigating the obstacles in a given
environment in an effective and imaginative manner. It grew out of military obstacle training,
called “parcour du combattant”, from which its current name has been adapted.
Parkour eventually evolved into a separate discipline. Practitioners, called tracers,
flow through the environment performing a wide array of movements, such as running, climbing,
jumping, vaulting, crawling or swinging. There are numerous benefits associated with parkour but
the discipline is not without risks. The physical dangers range from scrapes and bruises to sprains,
fractures and even deadly falls. Number 7 Urii Eliseev
Urii Eliseev was a chess prodigy who, at only 17, was awarded the title of Grandmaster. He’d
previously won the under-16 World Youth Chess Championship. After achieving the highest level
in chess, Eliseev found a new passion and became completely absorbed by the world of parkour. His
social media would show him climbing balconies and even hanging by one hand from the edge of
a building. In November of 2016, Eliseev was attempting a parkour stunt in his Moscow apartment
building. It involved jumping from a window to a balcony. Unfortunately, the 20-year-old slipped
and suffered a deadly fall from the 12th floor. Number 6 Johnny Turner
Johnny “Snyper” Turner was regarded on the London scene as a pioneer of the city’s parkour and urban
exploration movement. He’d climbed a number of the city’s landmarks, such as the Barbican and
Battersea Power Station. In September of 2019, the parkour athlete fell to his death from scaffolding
in central London. The circumstances surrounding the accident remain unclear but it’s believed
that the 28-year-old had lost his footing during a parkour stunt in the city’s Waterloo district.
Turner was hailed by many as an inspiration and, in the incident’s aftermath, several dozen parkour
enthusiasts met to pay their respects. Where Is It Located?
Parkour can be practiced anywhere in the world and may be adapted to any environment
but its traditionally performed in an urban landscape. Free running, which is derived
from parkour, adds stylish acrobatics, such as flips and spins, to showcase the art of
movement. Tracers will create their path through the obstacles in gyms, playgrounds, parks as well
as various buildings and abandoned structures. The historical origins of parkour in the western world
can be traced back to Georges Hébert, a French Naval officer and physical education pioneer.
Prior to World War I, he proposed a new athletic program based on the indigenous tribes he’d met
in Africa. He noticed that they were extremely strong, flexible and durable even though their
only form of training was life in nature. Hébert developed his “natural method” to emulate their
physical prowess. It gradually became the standard in French military education. The
method inspired Raymond Belle, who passed on his training philosophy to his son, David, considered
the founder of the parkour movement. David Belle and his group, called Yamakasi, popularized the
discipline and it became a global phenomenon. Number 5 Parkour Accident in Russia
In 2012, an unnamed Russian woman fell to her death during what was allegedly her first
parkour experience. The 24-year-old and her sister were with a group of parkour practitioners who,
after exhibiting their skills, asked the women to join in. The stunt, which took place on
Martynovskaya Street, in Saint Petersburg, involved jumping from the roof onto the protruding
eaves of the building below. Her older sister refused to take part in it but the younger woman
accepted the challenge. She ran towards the ledge and jumped but, tragically, failed to
reach the building. The woman fell to her death 17 floors. The men who’d encouraged her to jump
quickly fled the scene. When news of the accident started to spread, many in the parkour community
were shocked that the woman had agreed to such a dangerous jump on her first try. When training for
these stunts, practitioners typically start from a manageable height and then gradually move up.
Number 4 Sergey Shorokhov
Parkour practitioner Sergey Shorokhov narrowly escaped with his life while jumping from ledge
to ledge atop a high rise in Russia. It was during this daring run that Shorokhov
lost his footing and almost fell to his death 25 floors. While holding a GoPro in his mouth,
the Russian tracer performed several successful jumps before he stumbled into some electrical
wires. In a split second, the tracer managed to grab hold of them. It was this quick reaction that
prevented him from falling roughly 280 feet below. Even though he sustained repeated electric shocks,
Shorokhov didn’t let go. He was helped up by a friend who was with him. The
stunt left the athlete with minor injuries but the outcome could’ve been far worse.
How Will It Kill You?
The risk of injury in parkour is ever-present, even for experienced practitioners.
It’s a logical progression for a tracer to take on more challenging obstacles as their skill level
develops. Sprains, scrapes and bruises are common occurrences. Jumping and missing the landing can
result in broken bones and severe, potentially fatal, head injuries. A study of parkour-related
visits to the emergency room found that most were caused by striking objects or bad landings.
The greatest risk associated with the discipline stems from training at height, on
rooftops and other tall structures. It sometimes involves jumping from one building to another,
at considerable heights. There’s virtually no room for error when doing so and any misstep can
result in a deadly fall. Number 3 Tolya
In March of 2016, a Russian teenager, only identified as Tolya by local media, was
involved in a fatal parkour accident. Tolya was known for daring stunts, such as doing handstands
on the edges of buildings or hanging from tall structures by only using one arm. Unfortunately,
one of these daring tricks ultimately ended the 13-year-olds life. He was trying to impress his
friends by hanging from the side of a derelict building, while only using his fingertips.
As Tolya tried to pull himself up, a brick became loose and he fell 100 feet onto the concrete path
below. Police officers, who believed that alcohol might have played a role in the tragic stunt,
launched an investigation into his death. Today's topic was requested by David Blachowski
and Benjamin Koh. If you have any other topics you'd like to learn about, subscribe & let us
know in the comments section below Number 2 Ray Connor
In August of 2019, Ray Connor was working on a multimillion-dollar yacht,
which had docked in Imperia, Italy. The vessel, called the Motor Yacht Hampshire 2, belonged to
billionaire Sir James Ratcliffe, one of the UK’s wealthiest people. He wasn’t aboard at the time.
Connor, a parkour enthusiast, left the yacht and, shortly afterwards, sent videos to his sister
from the rooftop of the maritime museum building. She became concerned and the yacht’s crew raised
the alarm when Connor didn’t return for duty. He was reported missing and a search was launched.
His body was eventually found in the maritime museum building, where Connor had landed after
suffering a fatal 30-foot fall. It’s believed that, as he was exploring the top of the building,
the 23-year-old fell through a plastic roof covering. It was reported that the young man
had died instantly. How to Survive?
If self-control and mastery of one’s environment are the overall goals, getting injured has been
described by parkour experts as a deviation from the discipline’s central philosophy. Practicing
parkour safely relies not only on physical fitness and spatial awareness but also on a realistic
assessment of your skill level. This means scaling your moves appropriately when drawing a path
as well as properly assessing any potential dangers in the environment. There are numerous
ways in which to approach an obstacle and you should properly balance the risk and reward.
Videos of highly-skilled and dynamic tracers should serve as an object of motivation not
imitation. The moves they perform are rigorously trained and practiced. Learning how to land and
fall safely is a crucial component of training as a way of avoiding injury, particularly in
case you need to escape a movement that has gone bad. Training at height has become an enticing
component of parkour but a number of experts discourage it since the risks are too great.
Number 1 Nye Frankie Newman In late December of 2017,
teenage tracer Nye “Frankie” Newman and several of his friends travelled to Paris, France.
While in the birth country of parkour, the 17-year-old suffered a fatal accident during a
stunt that took place on the city’s Metro. Newman and his friends were on a train bound for the
Eiffel Tower, where they were going to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks display. It was reported
that another teenager, with whom Newman and his friends were staying, undid the lock between
carriages using a skeleton key. Newman climbed up between two carriages in order to take a selfie.
Unfortunately, as he poked his head up, the teen was struck by an object. He fell on the metal
poles that separated the carriages. According to his friends, Newman’s clothes were soaked in blood
and he looked unresponsive. He was kept on life support until his mother arrived
in the French capital, the following day, and was subsequently pronounced dead.
Thanks for watching! Would you rather practice parkour on the rooftops in your neighborhood or
swim in a lake with a group of hippos? Let us know in the comments section below!