TAIYUAN, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The Frenchman is still able to focus on his breath and the belt in front of him, sitting quietly on a flat belt less than two fingers wide, more than 170 meters above the ground. It was very windy in the canyon, and his long blond hair and iconic "battle suit" moved with the wind, looking very flowing.
High-altitude flat belt is an emerging extreme sport that combines rock climbing, parkour, gymnastics and other sports. On a flat belt that is only 2.5 centimeters wide, competitors rely on themselves to maintain their balance and compete in walking speed or tricks.
The venue of the High Altitude Flat Belt International Challenge is located in Hejin City, Shanxi Province, and below the Flat Belt is the Yellow River, China's mother river, which is also the place where the legend of "Fish Leaping Dragon Gate" takes place. But in the semi-finals on the 21st, Ben Wukong had no time to take care of these. A few meters away, on another flat belt, his fierce rival, "China's first high-altitude flat belt" Shi Hailin, is also making final preparations before the competition.
As an old friend who has known each other for many years, Shi Hailin deliberately changed into the exact same clothes, sunglasses, and headband as Ben Wukong before the game to pay tribute to this iconic figure with a high-altitude flat belt. The difference is that Ben Goku's right foot is wrapped in a white bandage.
Ben Goku injured his foot in an accident a few days ago. For a world-class player like him, the impact of the injury is clear. Even so, he was selected from 20 players from China, Germany, Spain and other places to finish in the top four.
In this competition, the two competitors will race 50 meters on a flat belt equivalent to 60 floors high. After two rounds of duels, Ben Wukong finally lost with a score of 0:2. He finally won the third place, and Shi Hailin passed the test to win the championship.
After the match, the 29-year-old did not hesitate to praise the Chinese player. He said that he is very happy to see the rapid progress of Chinese players in recent years, and this kind of healthy competition can make each other better. He also laughed that after seeing the performance of the Chinese player, he would never say that he was the number one in the world again.
Ben Wukong is an old acquaintance of China, and China is the "blessed land" of Ben Wukong. Before 2019, he was just an ordinary flatband athlete. In 2019, Ben Wukong, who was in China for the first time, defeated the world champion at the time at a high-altitude flat-belt speed race held in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, and dominated the event in the following years.
Perhaps it was his astonishing performance that attracted more young Chinese to join the Flat Belt movement. Among the contestants are many of his "fans", including He Jinyi, a young Chinese who beat him in the preliminaries a day earlier.
"I especially appreciate a quote from Ben Goku – I walk where the birds fly. It gives me a very free, freewheeling feeling, which is what I want to achieve. The 26-year-old Guangdong player said.
High-altitude flat belt competitions are often held at high altitudes, and from a distance, athletes seem to be walking in the air, which is very visually impactful, and this sport has become an important project in many parts of China to accelerate the integration of culture, sports and tourism. Previously, high-altitude flat belt races have been staged in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, Wugong Mountain, Jiangxi, and Shenxian Ju in Zhejiang, attracting many tourists to see the charm of this sport.
"Flat bands help people work on balance and stay calm, so it's a sport for all ages. Ben Wukong said that he has also slowly reached today's achievements from an ordinary person, and hopes to inspire more people through his stories and performances, and inspire them to pursue bigger dreams.
All you need is a flat strap and two attachment points to start practicing. More and more people are taking part in the sport in China, and he understands that the youngest is as young as 6 years old, Mr. Shi said.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, as well as the Olympic year. Ben Wukong said that China and France have many similarities, such as rich cuisine, diverse landforms, etc., and hopes that with the help of sports, the people of the two countries can enhance their understanding of each other and go to each other's countries to discover and explore more unknowns.
"There are similarities between the Olympic motto 'Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together' and the Longmen Spirit, which encourages people to strive and surpass. Participating in this competition in such a special place hopes to convey to people the spirit of hard work and never giving up. Ben Wukong said.