Sydney’s leading parkour athletes share secrets behind the sport
Sydney is fast becoming a parkour playground with daredevils using prominent landmarks to perform gravity defying moves. We take a look at some of the up-and-coming athletes in the sport.
Central Sydney
Don't miss out on the headlines from Central Sydney. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Rising numbers of Sydneysiders are taking up the high octane sport of parkour, stunning onlookers and racking up thousands of social media followers in the process.
Two years of Covid-19 lockdowns has fuelled a surge in popularity in the gravity defying discipline as prominent Sydney landmarks are used by parkour athletes to put their skills into action.
Parkour was founded in Paris in the 1990s and is all about running, jumping and hurling yourself freely over obstacles to get from one point to the next in the fastest way possible.
In the last two decades, parkour has grown from a niche discipline to a recognised sport practised in all corners of the world.
The video-readiness of parkour has also helped it become a social media sensation with leading athletes in the scene including Sydney’s own Dom Di Tommaso clocking up millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok.
Parkour trainer JP Gauntlett, who teaches classes at the AAPES studio in Botany, said Sydney lends itself to parkour with many prominent landmarks used to perform the sport.
“Pyrmont is where parkour really began to take off in Australia, and Bondi and central Sydney with the fun and quirky architecture is also really popular,” he said.
“In most other sports and activities you have to fit a certain mould and that’s one of the main reasons more people are taking up parkour – it’s not restricted in the same way.
“It’s something that’s possible for everyone because it’s about your body and how you want to move it. It’s also about play, and not being in competition.
“Anything is dangerous if you don’t know how to do it and people tend to get hung up on people jumping big roof gaps but that’s only only a small percentage of what parkour is.
“For someone who has 10-15 years perfecting these skills, it’s not dangerous.”
The rising popularity of parkour has seen gymnastic schools across Sydney now teach the discipline through workshops aimed at children through to adults.
The sport is also being actively encouraged by local councils with Canada Bay and Queanbeyan among local government bodies currently planning to build dedicated parkour themed playgrounds for children.
The next move for parkour is the 2024 Olympic Games with the international gymnastics federation pushing for the sport to be included in the Paris event.
Lets take a look at some of Sydney’s leading and up and coming parkour athletes and their journey into the sport.
SAMUEL FALÉ
Samuel Falé is one of Sydney’s most promising up and coming parkour stars – and is on a mission to show anyone can take up the sport.
Also known as ParkourSpiderSam, Samuel’s journey into parkour began at the age of just two when his mum allowed him to jump into a sandpit with a very large drop.
“The other mums wanted me to stop because their kids were trying to follow me but my mum said she wouldn’t stop me as I was jumping safely and with confidence. I’m so grateful she didn’t stop me,” he said.
“My parents have always encouraged me to jump at my own ability and to live brave. I was always jumping and flipping.
“The major benefit of parkour for me is personal – I have type 1 diabetes and I wear an insulin pump and sensor attached to my body.
“I want to get the message out there that anyone can ‘jump with a pump’.
“I never wanted to do gymnastics – leotards were not my thing and I wanted to be more freestyle.
“The best advice I ever got was if I hit life like I hit my jumps I can do anything.”
Samuel, who trains at Sydney AAPES, said his most challenging jumps to date have included the Pyrmont wharf jump which took him years to prepare for, both physically and mentally. He performed the jump at the age of just 12 – making him the youngest Sydneysider to conquer it.
Samuel said the sport had taught him self-discipline and respect for his environment.
“I see parkour becoming more popular in Sydney as I feel the major contribution for this is it is such an inclusive sport. I train with people twice my age and anyone can do it. Even my mum has started and joined the women's class at AAPES,” he said.
FLETCHER HANSON
Fletcher Hanson’s journey into parkour began by jumping on his trampoline in the backyard of his Sydney home.
Since then, he has become a leading name in Sydney’s parkour scene with his videos watched by a strong following on social media.
“Every afternoon after school and from there I started translating the tricks and skills I learnt on the trampoline to grass and other ground surfaces,” he said.
“After gaining confidence in my abilities I started to meet up with other athletes in my local community, having the opportunity to train with others allows me to learn from them and also share my experiences when learning a new trick or overcoming an obstacle.
“Absolutely anyone can participate in this sport and this results in many different people from all walks of life coming together and sharing their story and communicating together.”
Fletcher said the benefits of parkour include the ability to build physical and mental endurance.
“Another is the ability to develop an incredible amount of self confidence and positivity towards yourself and others,” he said.
“In parkour, challenges come in many different forms, the two most common types of challenges are physical and mental. For example, a physical challenge can be a jump or flip which requires an incredible amount of strength and endurance to do a jump typically over a large distance to complete the challenge.
“A mental challenge doesn’t necessarily have to be a big jump or acrobatic feat but a jump that is difficult to commit to, typically these sort of jumps are up high and more dangerous but shorter and manageable distances.”
Fletcher recognised there were many misconceptions about the sport including it being viewed by the wider public as “stupid and unswise”.
“The general population doesn’t take into account the many years and hard work and doing thousands of jumps that are a replica of the dangerous stunt,” he said.
“All athletes are fully conscious of the hazards of the jumps but are also fully aware of our physical abilities to perform the manoeuvre.
Fletcher partly attributed the popularity of parkour to social media where videos are watched by millions of viewers around the world.
“Through these platforms, people, young and old, can consider learning the sport and getting out and active,” he said.
HARRISON GABRIEL
Harrison Gabriel took up parkour in his school years when his year group was offered a choice of several camps to go on after exams.
“One of the camps was parkour and I loved it and kept practising, training, competing and coaching it ever since,” he said.
“I gained and improved my skills through other people I trained with and just through constant practice, practice makes consistency which equals confidence in skills and abilities.”
Harrison’s most challenging jumps include the Olympic Park platform jump. He has also flipped off the Brisbane sign and performed the classic wharf jump in Pyrmont.
He said benefits of the sport include strengthening skills in hand eye coordination, flexibility, stamina, body control, balance and the ability to think creatively to overcome obstacles.
“Currently parkour in general is quite popular across Australia even if it does sometimes get confused with ninja warrior,” he said.
“A lot of parkour athletes aren’t big fans of parkour being run by gymnastics federations but as the federations get better and take on board what the athletes are saying and change the current judging criteria of the competitions it will become better and more popular.
“Despite what all the internet haters and comment trolls will tell you, parkour has many benefits.”
MICHAEL KHEDOORI
Michael Khedoori is one of the leading names in parkour, with the professional athlete competing in both Australian and international competitions.
The Sydneysider said creating content had been a strong interest of his from a young age, eventually leading to a career working as an online influencer.
He also has a history of teaching parkour to a variety of ages at AAPES in Botany, the gym he started training in when he discovered his love for parkour.
“This interest grew into other hobbies of mine such as spending time outside training and shooting photography and videography around Sydney.
“Through my years of studying and practising movement I have developed a deep passion for it. For me, finding a sport was tricky but being welcomed into the parkour community I realised that this was where I was always meant to be.”
Michael has amassed a strong following on social media including 2.1 million followers on Tiktok.
Sydney’s skinniest waterfront has eyewatering price
Sydney’s skinniest waterfront is about to hit the market to kick off the year in real estate and it has a jawdropping price tag, despite its size.
‘Massive mistake’: Waterhouse’s plans for $100m home spark outrage
A plan by the former daughter-in-law of a late bookmaking legend to subdivide one of Sydney’s most expensive trophy homes has sparked a planning row among neighbours in the harbourside suburb.