Tlotlego Manganye of Westonaria said the type of sport he does is not very popular – at least not in South Africa.
Since the age of 10, the 16-year-old has been training hard for what he calls ‘parkour’.
“It is also known as free running,” Tlotlego said.
He was inspired by the gurus of the sport such as Dominic Di Tommaso and Pavel Petkuns, and has since embarked on the journey of introducing it to locals.
He not only wants soar to new heights in the sport, but he wants to educate other youngsters about it and how it is done properly.
“Free running is a way of expression by interacting with various obstacles and environments. It may also include what we call flipping and spinning; these movements are usually adopted from other sports such as gymnastics, tricking or parkour,” he explained.
Tlotlego said in order for you to enjoy the sport, you need to be physically fit and have good balance, especially when landing – he added that speed can also help during tricks mid-air.
In the near future he’d like to establish himself as one of the best in the sport, and be endorsed by Red Bull Art of Motion, or get sponsors from international sport mega brands.
Tlotlego dedicates at least an hour or two a day to his training, learning new skills and techniques as he strives to improve.
“What I love about free running is that most people in my community found it enjoyable and have shown major interest in it. This gives me hope that I can make it a popular sport in South Africa.
“However, the sport has its challenges, especially ankle injuries, but as they say: No pain no gain, that’s part of the game.”
Visit the official World Freerunning Parkour Federation website to find out more about the sport. Read an interesting piece by Red Bull with headline What’s the difference between freerunning and parkour by clicking here.
