International   

Tightrope walk

A Chinese man goes home with $15,000

SEOUL: A Chinese tightrope walker won on Saturday what was billed as the first international high-wire championship, crossing a 1 km-long wire swung over a river in the fastest time among the contestants.

Abudusataer Wujiabudula walked away with a $15,000 prize, after 17 other competitors failed to beat his time of 11 minutes, 22.49 seconds recorded on Thursday, when the three-day competition opened.

Organisers in Seoul said the length across the Han River made it the longest-ever such high wire, meaning anyone who made it across broke the record for distance — pitting competitors in a battle for speed.

Colombia's Alan Martinez, who has ambled across the Amazon, came second, walking the length of the 30-mm thick wire in 11 minutes, 30.54 seconds.

The iron wire across the Han was supported by 22-metre high towers on each bank of the river. A safety net was deployed under the sections of the wire over the river banks, but otherwise the walkers faced a plunge into the swirling grayish water if they slipped. Contestants wore life vests and motor boats patrolled the river to scoop up the unsteady. Only two contestants — Russia's Alexey Marchenko and China's Wang Hui — fell into the river during their race.

South Korea has a tradition of tightrope walking going back centuries.

— AP

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Chaudhary's roadshow draws good response
Musharraf's warning to lawyers
Russia may halt arms cuts
Labour loses power in Scotland
Chavez to rein in banks
TV channels knocked off
Sailing into record books, again
Gadgets for the poor
Tightrope walk
"Canada a terrorist haven after Operation Bluestar''
Back home, Qayyum refuses to back down
U.S. Congressmen attack India's relations with Iran, link this to nuclear deal

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu