Red Bull, always alongside extraordinary athletes capable of realizing and planning feats that transcend the imaginable, is preparing to write a new legendary chapter. The next protagonist of this epic saga will be Jaan Roose, Estonian slackliner who will attempt an incredible feat: cross the Strait of Messina walking on a ribbon just 1.9 cm wide, suspended at a dizzying height of over 200 meters above sea level.
The mayor of Messina Federico Basile and the sports councilor Massimo Finocchiaro declare themselves proud of the project “The scenery of the Strait of Messina, already the protagonist of exciting crossings that recall the difficult passage of the arm of the sea that separates Sicily from Calabria and cradle of heroic stories such as those of Homer, will be the perfect location for a new extraordinary undertaking. We are proud that Red Bull has chosen to promote the project in the city of Messina, and we are certain that the Estonian athlete will demonstrate a legendary and exciting crossing, never seen before, as well as being an opportunity to convey the inclusive value of sport, supported and promoted by this Administration in all its forms to be a driver of development and a social value and solidarity”.
Similar enthusiasm for the Calabrian front: “We are honored and happy that our magnificent territory can be the setting for a unique project”, he claims Giuseppe Cotroneo, municipal councilor with responsibility for Sport of the Municipality of Villa San Giovanni. “The Strait has always represented an ’emotional’ place from every point of view and the combination of sport and myth proposed with the athlete Jaan Roose is the promotion that this area deserves. It’s the City we like!”
Starting from July 2024 (the choice of date will depend on climatic conditions), the athlete will face a breathtaking route of over 3.5 kilometers, the distance that separates the Calabrian coast from the Sicilian one. An incredible crossing that not only could break the slacklining world record, surpassing the previous record by almost a kilometer (approximately 2.7 km), but which will represent an unprecedented challenge, with a crossing distance symbolically greater than 30 football fields.
Jaan Roose’s past challenges have always left you speechless, but this time the Estonian slackliner has decided to push himself beyond every limit achieved so far, physically and emotionally speaking. After detailed inspections of the affected area and long and intense preparation in Estonia, Roose has decided: he will start from Santa Trada (Villa San Giovanni), from a point on the 265 meter high pylon – a measurement higher than the tallest Italian skyscraper – and will try to arrive at Torre Faro (Messina) at a height of 230 meters.
The estimated time to accomplish this epic feat is approximately 3 hours, during which Jaan will face a difference in altitude of approximately 130 meters between the starting height and what he will find in the central part, more or less near “Scylla and Charybdis” . An almost mythological symbolism that underlines the extraordinary nature of this challenge, evoking man’s eternal struggle against the limits of the impossible.
“It’s a mixture of fear and excitement, I have the feeling of taking the challenge with myself to the limit”: these are the emotions that Roose says he feels during those moments hundreds of meters in the air. And if slacklining seems just a simple question of balance, Jaan confirms that the psychological component is fundamental: “From a mental point of view I have to focus on what I’m doing at that moment. I have to minimize any distractions and move forward, trying to stay as clear as possible, step by step.”
Jaan Roose, three-time world champion of the specialty, is no stranger to these legendary feats. In addition to several slacklining challenges in the most unlikely locations and with the most hostile weather conditions, the Estonian athlete was also the first and the only one in the world to do a backflip (backward jump with high difficulty coefficient) on a slackline. Who, if not him, could have imagined such an audacious challenge, destined to resonate like an echo worldwide?
The live television broadcast of the feat will be broadcast entirely on Mediaset’s Canale 20 and in live streaming on the Tgcom24 and Sportmediaset.it websites
To support the extraordinary Red Bull enterprise as partnerthere is Fastweb: one of the main telecommunications operators in Italy which will provide the live streaming connection for the transmission of images thanks to 5G coverage.
“We are thrilled to be Red Bull’s partner in this breathtaking sporting undertaking which represents an extraordinary testimony of courage, tenacity and determination. Values in which we deeply believe and which we want to pass on to new generations of boys and girls, through the example of athletes who with passion and dedication they pursue their goals, always cutting new goals”. He has declared Michele Sarzana Head of Brand, Communication & Digital Experience at Fastweb.
The adventure that awaits Jaan is something truly unique and beyond the limits of human imagination. The athlete himself, speaking about the difficulty coefficient of the test that awaits him, has no doubts: “On a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, I’d say we’re at 10+1!”.
