LITTLE COLORADO RIVER: US daredevil Nik Wallenda became the first man to cross a Grand Canyon-area gorge on a tightrope early yesterday, completing his latest record-breaking feat in under 23 minutes.
The 34-year-old, who walked across the Niagara Falls last year, prayed constantly as he crossed a tributary gorge of the US landmark on a quarter-mile long high wire some 1,500 feet (457 metres) above the Little Colorado River.
Wind gusts were higher than expected, and he twice crouched down on the wire. “Those winds (were) so unpredictable ... just out of the blue there would be a 35 miles (56 kilometres) an hour gust,” he said.
“My arms are aching like you couldn’t believe,” he added, hugging his wife and children after the nerve-wracking walk — without a harness — over the stunning gorge in eastern Arizona, broadcast live around the world.
Organisers said he took 22 minutes and 54 seconds to cross the 426 metres — faster than anticipated — giving a thumbs up and half-running the last several yards to reach the other side.
There was some debate over whether the walk was over the Grand Canyon itself — technically it was over a tributary gorge in the Navajo Nation, east of the main part of the landmark.
But organisers insisted he had walked across the Grand Canyon, and many who watched the death-defying stunt were willing to forgive any overzealous marketing hype.
Wallenda had hoped to be able to take questions from journalists live while on the high wire, but it became clear within a few minutes of the start that he needed all his concentration for the walk.
Wallenda was rigged up with a microphone and live cameras, and his father was in constant live radio link with him.
He first crouched down before the half-way point, explaining afterwards he needed to stabilise the cable, and himself. “The winds were getting really gusty right then,” he said.
As he passed the half-way point he continued to pray — but as he neared the other side, the tension lifted palpably.
After fast-walking the last several meters he fell into the arms of his wife Erendira and his three children. “It’s so important to have my family there. I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for their support,” he said.
AFP
