Extreme sports aren’t always so safe! Unexpected things can always happen which could lead to catastrophe… That’s why the athletes who practice these activities always have to be on high alert and need to have good reflexesin case anything does go wrong! The proof is in the footage above…
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On 26th June last year during the Ekstremsportveko in Voss, Norway, the athlete Jon Gjerde was doing acrobatics and tricks with a hang glider in the air. All of a sudden, his engine shattered while he was quite high up in the air, leading to a deadly and almost fatal fall!
Footage from on the craft
The hang glider was equipped with a camera that recorded the situation perfectly. We can see Jon Gjerde in front of the camera, calmly doing his tricks in the air when all of a sudden, a deafening noise can be heard, and everything seems to fall off and smash into pieces. The engine starts to spin around him and we can hear the wind whipping through the torn-up sails of his hang glider… Partially within range of the camera, we also see Gjerde on the screen from time to time.
Good reflexes
When he was just a few metres away from the water, he managed to deploy his parachute, so his crash landing was softened… He was then able to land in the water at a reasonable speed, meaning he wasn’t in any immediate danger. After this near-death experience, we bet this Norwegian hang-gliding champion will be a lot more careful in the future!
If you want to see the footage for yourself, check out the video above!
