Soaring High!

Red Bull athletes Dani Román and Fred Fugen achieved a world first recently, not only putting themselves but also the Kingdom on the map for their incredible synchronised wingsuit crossing through the Bahrain World Trade Center.

Apple Sharma caught up with the duo to get a firsthand account of this exciting feat, how it all came about and what made this adrenaline-pumping jump possible.

fact: Congratulations on the jump. How does it feel to achieve a world-first – synchronised wingsuit crossing through a building?
DR & FF: Thank you! It was a dream we’ve had ever since we first came to Bahrain. Achieving this feels like a huge satisfaction, not just for us as athletes but for the entire Red Bull team, the government, the Olympic Committee and everyone who pushed so hard to make it happen. From an athletic point of view, it was a very tricky project, so we’re incredibly happy that everything worked out so well.

fact: What made you choose Bahrain to attempt something this ambitious and what makes your partnership successful?
DR & FF: From the very first time we visited Bahrain and saw the building, we knew we wanted to do something special there. The support from everyone involved in Bahrain, the Red Bull team, the government and the Olympic Committee, has been incredible. They trusted us from the beginning, shared the same vision and had the same passion for the project. That level of trust and collaboration is what truly made this possible.

fact: Can you share your process – how do you turn an idea or a visual concept into an exact flight path where there’s no room for error?
DR & FF: The first step was defining the flight path: distance, speed, angles and timing. We trained at a small airfield in France, where we used a drone as a reference point to simulate the centre of the building. We completed around 40 jumps to finetune all the parameters. Once we had all the numbers dialled in, we moved the project to Bahrain.

fact: Flying this close together at high speed is intense. What was the hardest part of staying perfectly in sync, and how much of that comes down to instinct versus planning?
DR & FF: Everything comes down to training. By the time we reached the building, we already knew the timing, speed and exact execution required. Wind conditions were critical; we needed very low wind or no wind at all. When that window finally came, we were ready and made it happen.

fact: At what point during preparation do you know a jump like this is truly possible?
DR & FF: That moment came during training in France. The first jumps were all about figuring out how to make it work, timing, speed and positioning. After around 10 to 15 jumps, we had a clear sequence and method. From there, it was all about consistency and waiting for the right conditions.

fact: Once you landed, what was the very first thing you said to each other?
DR & FF: We were just completely stoked. Everything worked perfectly. After so much training and effort from everyone involved, we were just incredibly happy with how well it went.

fact: What’s next on the agenda? Are there more world firsts coming, and could we see you back in Bahrain for another one?
DR & FF: There are always many ideas in our minds. We’re definitely looking forward to coming back to Bahrain. There’s so much potential there and the people are incredibly supportive and motivated to make ambitious projects happen.

fact: How would you describe Bahrain from the air?
DR & FF: It felt surreal. Flying over the city on a black hawk helicopter and seeing Bahrain from above was an unforgettable experience. ✤

GO: FOLLOW @REDBULLBAHRAIN, @DANIROMAN_ AND @FREDFUGEN ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE INFORMATION.

THE JUMP

After two years of rigorous planning, two of the world’s renowned wingsuit athletes, Dani Román and Fred Fugen, achieved a world-first with a synchronised, head-on crossing between the Bahrain World Trade Center. Launching from a Black Hawk helicopter high above Manama, they split apart, turned back in from opposite sides and choregraphed their approach so that they crossed the midpoint between the twin towers at the exact same moment.

KEY STATS