PREVIEW

A daredevil athlete has become the first person ever to complete an obstacle course inside a moving Ferris wheel - racing against gravity 100ft above the ground.

Two-time Obstacle Course Racing world champion Ida Mathilde Steensgaard tackled six punishing obstacles built into the framework of the giant rotating wheel at Odense Harbour in Denmark.

The 35-year-old Danish athlete had just one full rotation of the 30-metre (98ft) Ferris wheel to complete the course, meaning she could never stop moving as the structure slowly turned beneath her.

One mistake, slip or missed grip would have ended the attempt.

Starting from a gondola, Steensgaard launched herself into the course with a dive roll before swinging across monkey bars, scaling a rope on the outside of the wheel, sprinting across narrow beams, climbing through the wheel's supports, battling through a gruelling reverse pull-up traverse and finally making a huge leap onto a climbing net before hauling herself into the finishing gondola.

She completed the unprecedented challenge in just three minutes and 33 seconds on her fourth attempt, making history in front of spectators gathered below.

Steensgaard said the reverse pull-up traverse near the end of the course proved the toughest obstacle.

She said: "You have to make a big jump out to the bar while you're already exhausted.

"You're hanging almost entirely from your upper body and then you have to pull yourself up and over. That really took bravery and power."

The Red Bull athlete and Danish HYROX Pro record holder said the idea came after spotting a Ferris wheel during a New Year's trip to Budapest.

She said: "I've always loved climbing trees and playgrounds. This project became the perfect combination of what I loved as a child and what I've learned as an athlete."

The custom-built course stretched across a Ferris wheel measuring 30 metres high, 27 metres in diameter and 2.5 metres wide.

As well as negotiating the rotating structure, Steensgaard had to contend with changing angles, gusting harbour winds and the constant pressure of racing against the wheel's movement.

Because there was nowhere in the world to train on a rotating Ferris wheel obstacle course, she developed the challenge through trial and error while training at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center near Salzburg, Austria.

Engineers also had to redesign sections of the attraction to safely accommodate the obstacles while installing a specialist athlete safety system.

Steensgaard completed her successful run on July 14 after four attempts, having only been able to practise on the finished course for less than a week following months of planning and construction.

The feat is believed to be the first obstacle course ever completed inside a rotating Ferris wheel.