Saturday, June 16, 2012

Nik Wallenda: the first daredevil to cross the Niagara on 200 high wire


Nik Wallenda has become the first daredevil in the world to cross the Niagara Falls on a 200 feet high and two-inch-wide wire on friday. He started from USA part amid the applause of tens of thousands turned up spectators and millions more before the television screen around the world and ended his stunt in Canada part of Falls. It took him 25 minutes to complete the journey.

And although Nik Wallenda's 1,800-foot trip over the roaring waters of Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three falls, secured him some serious bragging rights, the daredevil seemed more interested in the estimated 112,000 people who gathered to witness the spectacle. 

"I hope what I do and what I just did inspires people around the world to reach for the skies," Wallenda, 33, told reporters after the walk, in which he wore a safety tether as per the request of ABC, which helped sponsor the stunt, according to the Associated Press. 

He said he felt like he was "on cloud nine" after braving "wind coming from every which way" and blinding mist on his 30-minute walk from the U.S. into Canada. 

"There was no way to focus on the movement of the cable," he said. "If I looked down at the cable, there was water moving everywhere. And if I looked up, there was heavy mist blowing in front of my face. So it was a very unique, a weird sensation." 

So how did he overcome the forces of nature to complete the historical walk, which paid homage to his circus family, the Flying Wallendas, and his great-grandfather, the late Karl Wallenda (who died during a stunt in Puerto Rico)? 


"A lot of praying," he said. "That's for sure."

No comments:

Post a Comment