Freerunning

Freerunning and Freerunners

The world of freerunning and freerunners came to Trafalgar Square on Saturday, 15th August and consigned Anthony Gormley One & Other project to the sideline.

Watching a Plinther in Trafalgar Square - evening, 10th July

Freerunning

The phrase freerunning (free running) was introduced to the English speaking population during the filming of the documentary Jump London, by means of presenting parkour to the English-speaking world.

Jump London was a 2003 Channel 4 feature documentary about parkour and free running (directed by Mike Christie and produced by Optomen Television; its sequel also directed by Christie, Jump Britain was televised in January 2005).

Jump London filmed three French traceurs, Sébastien Foucan, Jerome Ben Aoues, and Johann Vigroux, as they free run around some of London's most famous landmarks, including Royal Albert Hall, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, HMS Belfast.

While movements associated with parkour seem disciplined, calculated, controlled and described as a philosophy; freerunning seems acrobatic, showmanship oriented, very much a street discipline and requires spectators.


Trafalgar Square:Freerun - stage set-up














Trafalgar Square: Freerun stage and Nelson's Column















The World Freerun Championship packed Tralfalgar Square to the brim. 8,000 tickets were issued. The rest of us without a ticket had to queue up for 3 - 4 hours before we could get in.



Trafalgar Square: Stage, Freerunner and Spectators



Freerunner, Tim "Livewire" Shieff (UK)

Incredibly on a sunny day with so much going on in London (including the ITU Triathlon in Hyde Park), we all queued patiently.

Children peered through the tiny narrow gaps between the barriers; people stood on the bus stop seat to look over the barriers; policemen, security people and the National Portrait Gallery staffs came out onto the already condoned off steps of the Gallery pleading "keep moving" as we gathered on the steps, camera trained at the freerunners on the stage intent on getting a good shot, any shot to be honest...:-)

One & Other

The Plinthers on the fourth plinth were (sadly) totally ignored before and during the freerunning competition.

A Plinther on the plinth, looking away from the workmen setting up the stage for the Freerun championship


We briefly looked towards the fourth plinth when someone shouted "Oh, look, he's pogo jumping", we glanced at the Plinther, only to see him pogo-jumping and watching the freerunners on the stage...:-)

Winner, Runners-up and Official Photographs

• 1st - Tim "Livewire" Shieff (UK)


• 2nd - Victor "Showtime" Lopez (USA)


• 3rd - Jason Paul (Germany)

Please Don't Try This At Home

Copyright © Abimbola Akanwo. 2009. All photographs taken and owned by Abimbola Akanwo. All rights reserved.