Pyramids: Leap of Wonder
GIZA: An identified flying object has been spotted in the sky of Giza earlier yesterday. Starting as a freefall, it then developed into a wing-suit flight, ending up with an open parachute hovering in the most extraordinary airspace in the world.
Red Bull athlete, CÈdric Dumont, performed the first ever wing-suit flight, landing at the steps of the Great Pyramids of Giza on Thursday January 29, 2015. What made this jump even more spectacular is that Dumont opened his helmet once he released his parachute and was enjoying the most impressive view, and unique sight, from above.
This is what seemed to be the best “seat” in the house. After a 3 years wait, the Belgian athlete could not hide his emotions and genuine excitement by what he alone has succeeded to accomplish. However, this is not the first visit to Cairo as Dumont had previously attempted a BASE jump from the Cairo Tower in 2012, which was canceled due to risky wind conditions, but in a show of confidence in Egypt’s stability and unmatched tourism attractions, he returns to the last of the original Seven Wonders of the World.
Born on May 1, 1972 in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, Dumont has always been passionate about flying. His debut into BASE jumping was inspired by the 1988 film Pushing the Limits which triggered this new passion and led him to achieve certification in 1993. After launching his career as a skydiver and skysurfer, Dumont gradually made a switch to BASE jumping.
To date, he has more than 10,000 skydives and 2,000 BASE jumps under his suit, the first of which dates back to 1996 when he jumped from a 75-metre-high bridge at the BelgianGerman border in St-Vith. His record includes the first ever BASE jump from Lithuania’s tallest, 170-meter high Vilnius TV tower in 2009; the world’s highest railway bridge in Montenegro (201m); the Royal Gorge Bridge in CaÒon City, Colorado - the highest suspended bridge in the world (384m); and off the 431 meter-high Jin-Mao tower in Shanghai in a BASE wingsuit. In addition to completing the highest jumps in the world, on the “flip side”, Cedric Dumont has also recorded the world’s lowest BASE jumps, including a free-fall jump from a height of just 35 meters.
Dumont has competed in the X Games three times, finished third in the Skysurfing World Cup and won the Brazilian Open of Skysurfing. He also has a degree in Applied Sports Psychology and coaches’ professional athletes on the mental edge and skills necessary to achieve their goals and unleash their full potential.