Double somersault in the Main.

Rare spectacle in front of the Frankfurt skyline: With Saltos and screws pounced Springer cliffs of a pedestrian bridge to the Main. Despite the depth of 16 meters left only minimal splashes of water - but the artful leaps were just training.

 

Frankfurt / Main - between athletes and the spectators are 16 meters in altitude. On a pedestal at the pedestrian bridge pier is Eiserner Orlando Duque. The cliffs Springer is the same, after a double somersault and a half twist in the middle of the river Main in Frankfurt diving. Down in the boats put forward their photographers with big cameras lenses before the eyes. Duque jumps and dives headfirst into the water, the minimum aufspritzt. The Colombian is a master of his craft, nine times World Champion, to be exact.

The orange crew of a boat of the German Life Saving Society (DLRG) helps Duque out of the water. The jumper is next to his colleague Alain Kohl, 26, from Luxembourg, shortly thereafter, the two run barefoot down the stairs to the iron bridge high. You still have to complete some jumps.

The two athletes are preparing for that Monday morning in Frankfurt at a competition on 29 August in Hamburg before: If they want next ten other athletes during the "Red Bull Cliff Diving Series 2009" from a 26 meter high masts of the sailing ship port ankernden Museum "Rickmers Rickmer" jump.

The "Series" to measure the cliffs Springer in eight competitions in different European countries measure and jump from each of at least 26 meters in height. The next step is Dubrovnik in Croatia on 11 July on the program. German venue is Hamburg, the final is on 20 September in Athens.

It was quite difficult in an urban environment in a river than to jump around from a cliff in a natural environment, says Duque. "We go here on the open water. Thus, there is evidence to us how far we are still up to the water surface." Who but too late or too early on him or her and with his jump is not yet ready, must reckon with point deduction. In Frankfurt behilft the master jumper with the Orange DLRG of the boat.

Cliff jumping before Skyline

The sponsor of the series has stars of the scene such as Steve Black from Australia, from Russia Artem Silchenko, Kent de moon from the U.S. and just cabbage and Duque won. The 34-year-old Colombian Duque jumps for 23 years and lives of these cliffs. The competition incentives him that even in urban environments is cracked. "This possibility has not so often," he says, as he is the Iron Bridge.

On this Monday, Duque, the fans' God of the cliffs Springer "called a good mood anyway. The sun is shining, the water of the river Main is comfortably warm 21 degrees, a few spectators applaud after each jump, and a desire for him was true. "On one of my many travels I have seen this bridge once. Since I want to jump down from here," he says on the pedestrian bridge made of steel, which since 1868 the northern and southern shores in Frankfurt / Main connects.

Then Duque back on the small pedestal at the top of the steel sheets. He is one of three to one, and jumps. Three to four meters deep, he plunges into the water. He can be somewhat careless, because divers before the river bottom to residues in water have abgesucht. Several rusty bicycles have the helpers at this morning lifted.