Parkour athletes at The World Games 2022 Birmingham (USA)

In just 50 days’ time Parkour makes its debut at a major international multi-sport event and rising star Noa Man (NED) is certain this monumental moment marks just the beginning.

Noa Man (NED) at the 2021 World Cup in Sofia (BUL) 

For Parkour star Noa Man (NED) it sometimes feels like life is on fast-forward. Not only has the 17-year-old already risen to the top of her sport, but now she is just a matter of weeks away from competing in her first global Games.

“I’m honoured to be part of this, it’s a big step for our sport to a bright future,” Man says, as she contemplates her debut at The World Games 2022 Birmingham (USA), which takes place 7-17 July.

The Dutch teenager, who finished fourth in women’s Speed and second in Freestyle at the last FIG World Cup event in Sofia, Bulgaria in September 2021, is spot on when she adds that Parkour has “been evolving so hard the last years”.

In fact, it was only in the early 1990s that Parisians Charles Perriere, David Belle and friends first began to use the stairs, barriers, walls and other urban fixtures around them to practise the art of movement. Now, just 30 years later, Perriere is about to watch on as the world’s very best compete on a global stage.

“I am proud for Parkour to be a part of the World Games,” says Perriere, now President of the FIG Parkour Commission as well as co-founder of the sport. “Parkour will be undoubtedly one of the most exciting events at the World Games. The course is unforgiving, nothing is padded and it takes courage to face down the obstacles, let alone perform tricks.”

Man, who is registered to compete in the women’s Freestyle and Speed competitions will bring her fast, flowy style to the Birmingham course made up of boxes, ramps and rails. None of the athletes will see the course until they step up to the startline. In the Freestyle event, they will have 70 seconds in which to demonstrate their skills and style to the judges and crowd.

“I have a dance background and I like to see my run almost as a dance, no stops and all flowing into the next move,” Man explains. “My strength is that I’m all-round, I can do big jumps and climb-ups and also I have a good technique in flips and vaults.”

Her battle with the Czech Republic’s Adela Merkova is set to be one of the Games’ highlights, while all eyes are on Man’s fellow 17-year-old livewire Elis Torhall (SWE) in the men’s Freestyle.

Sofia 2021 World Cup winners Bohdan Kolmakov (UKR) and Miranda Tibbling (SWE) headline the men’s and women’s Speed events respectively but with competition having been severely restricted in the past two years by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, fans are expecting a whole array of new tricks with elevated difficulty.

Growing mentally

Man cannot wait.

“You will be amazed by what we are capable of,” Man says. “And that is what Parkour challenges you every day. There are no limits. I learn new things every week.

“I wish everybody would try it. Because even though I do competitions, the biggest challenge is overcoming your fears and most importantly growing mentally. This grows your confidence in the sport and even in life. It teaches me to face challenges in work or at college.”

Fans at the Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham will see a maximum of twelve men and twelve women compete in each of the two disciplines in search of being crowned the first Parkour World Games champions.

“I’m proud I may represent my country on the World Games and it would be amazing if I manage to bring home a gold medal in a sport that is in this growing stage,” Man says, before underlining just what the competition is all about in her eyes.

“It means everything, it means the future of our sport, it means recognition of our sport and hopefully the start of the road in becoming an Olympic sport in the future.”