Red Bull has announced its Art of Motion 2022 line up and a new multi-part competition format.
Sydney Olson
16 of the world’s best athletes are set to go head to head in the parkour paradise of Astypalea at Red Bull Art of Motion, the most daring competition on the planet.
Starting on 9 June, the best male and female parkour athletes from Europe, America and Asia will go head to head across three days of competition, workshops and mentoring on the picturesque island of Astypalea, with windmills, cliffsides, rooftops, balconies and much more, giving the athletes new opportunities to showcase moves and amaze the audience and judges.
To celebrate, we asked Sydney Olson and Noa Diorgina Man who their favourite female sportsperson is and this was their answer...
Sydney Olson:
The sportswoman that I admire most is Luci Romberg. She is a legendary parkour athlete who won eleven Red Bull Art of Motion competitions. When I first started training parkour and Freerunning, there were very few women participating in the sport. I didn’t think I’d ever be as good as all the men training around me. I had in my head that as a woman, I could be good, but never THAT good. And then I came across one of Luci’s videos. She was doing all the tricks that the men were doing. She was so aggressive, powerful and strong. When I saw this, I started to believe in myself. She completely inspired me and from that moment on, I started training so much harder and stopped holding onto the belief that I am weaker than the men. Luci and I later became great friends. She helped me get to the next level of my career. So not only is she an amazing athlete, but she’s also a generous person and I’m so grateful to have her as a mentor. We need women like this to help transform parkour. The belief in oneself is very powerful and I’d like to thank Luci for believing in herself so I could believe in me.
Noa Diorgina Man:
My definition of an extraordinary female sportswoman is Luci Romberg. For me she has always been the example of what kind of athlete I hope to become. Luci showed that girls can rock at an extreme sport like freerunning! In 2015 she was invited to the most prestigious competition in our sport, Red Bull Art of Motion. She won the title ‘Best Female’ with a run that, in my eyes, is still at a top level these days. Her style is hard and with high level tricks and she was even the first female that made it into the finals of the overall competition against the men! She paved the road for many females that followed her example. She didn’t stop pushing female presence only at freerunning, she is now also one of the most sought after stunt performers in the world, something I hope to do too. What I find most intriguing and why I respect her is that she never changed who she is. I love it that you always recognize her style and although I have never really had the chance to have a really good conversation with her she comes across to me as someone who is proud there are more badass girls now. When I was around 13 I messaged her and I was so surprised and happy she responded. She probably has no idea how much she motivated me to train hard, and believe in who you are, and you stay close to your own ideals in life.
