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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Free runners take on competition | Free runners take on competition |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The best free runners or "urban acrobats" from across the globe have competed in the World Championships in London's Trafalgar Square. | |
| Free running uses the urban environment to perform gymnastic movements such as spins, somersaults and vaults. | Free running uses the urban environment to perform gymnastic movements such as spins, somersaults and vaults. |
| Twenty-five international athletes competed on the course, which included buildings, walls, rails and towers. | |
| Ten made it to the final round, with the UK, the US and Germany taking the top three places. | |
| Organisers described the event as an "outstanding success". | |
| Tim "Livewire" Shieff, from the UK, was crowned 2009 champion, while Victor "Showtime" Lopez, from the US, and Jason Paul, from Germany, came in second and third respectively. | |
| Ahead of the event, free runner Jon Badden told the BBC's Today programme he was inspired to take up the sport after he saw a TV advert showing an office worker climb out of his window and leap from building to building to get home. | |
| "I was playing basketball for county, rugby for county, swimming for county and I saw this advert on TV and thought, wow, this guy is amazing - I want to do this. | "I was playing basketball for county, rugby for county, swimming for county and I saw this advert on TV and thought, wow, this guy is amazing - I want to do this. |
| This was the advert which inspired many to take up free running | This was the advert which inspired many to take up free running |
| "It caught the imagination of quite a lot of young people." | "It caught the imagination of quite a lot of young people." |
| In competition, contestants are marked in four categories, technical difficulty, execution, creativity and fluidity. | |
| The athletes undertake long hours of gruelling training. | The athletes undertake long hours of gruelling training. |
| Mr Badden said they frequently pitted themselves against the best. | |
| "There is a guy in our team who did a standing jump competition with Jonathan Edwards - the Olympic gold medallist for the triple jump. | |
| "He is just a guy who has trained on the streets, and done free running for fun. | "He is just a guy who has trained on the streets, and done free running for fun. |
| "He had a longer standing jump. That just shows how much conditioning we do. | "He had a longer standing jump. That just shows how much conditioning we do. |
| "The same way we all did the Royal Marines endurance course first time without any training, in marine time." | "The same way we all did the Royal Marines endurance course first time without any training, in marine time." |
| The sport originated just over 20 years ago in Paris and was known as Le Parkour. | The sport originated just over 20 years ago in Paris and was known as Le Parkour. |
| It also involved urban acrobatics, and was showcased in James Bond film Casino Royale. | It also involved urban acrobatics, and was showcased in James Bond film Casino Royale. |