13,000 fans descended on the Royal Dutch Mint in Utrecht
on Saturday July 24 for Red Bull Fierste Ljepper – a celebration of the
Netherlands’ oldest extreme sport.






A contestant gets ready to take flight.



In order to clear the water it is key to get enough speed
up before launching at the pole.





Thewis Hobma jumped the furthest in the final with a best
of 20.72 metres, to take the tile. “I’ve won and I’m so pleased. But I’m not the
only one – so many jumpers have jumped further than ever before. One thing is
for sure – we have pushed the boundaries together and this typically Dutch sport
has got the attention it deserves,” he said.





And here is the winner in action…



24 of the best fierljeppers from Holland and Friesland –
including Bastiaan De Bruijn – took on the challenge of jumping onto a floating
sandpit using a 2.5 metre embankment and 14 metre-long pole.





Red Bull Fierste Ljepper featured a higher pole and bigger
slope than normal which produced improved jumps. As Jaco de Groot found out: “A
longer jumping stick and higher slope create extreme records. You have to take
even more risks, You either end up wet or having jumped an incredibly long way!”
A trip to Comic-Con 201…