“We have forgotten what people can do”

Chris Harmat, a 29-year-old from Basel, is not just parkour world champion, at the moment he also holds first place in the world ranking of the International Gymnastics Federation. And has been a Ninja Warrior finalist several times. A sort-of modern-day superhero. Because I, at least, cannot for the life of me fathom how something like this is even possible when I watch Chris and his traceur colleagues training. Absolutely superhuman!

Chris started parkour when he was fifteen: “At that point I couldn’t even imagine being able to do a somersault!” He was inspired by the film Yamakasi. “Seeing how those seven parkour heroes saved a child’s life with their skills really inspired me”. When he was seventeen, he became world champion in the speed category in Berlin: “It was a huge surprise! I was suddenly standing there holding a trophy – pretty badass!” And this trained electrician was still 17 years old when he started his first company: the World’s Parkour Family. When you have won something like that, new goals form automatically: “You want more! So it was even better in 2018 when I managed to win the World Cup in Hiroshima – and in 2019 the overall World Cup!” His biggest dream at the moment is taking part in the Olympics. Depending on how things go, parkour may be an Olympic discipline by 2028.

Parkour hotspot Basel

Chris Harmat may have travelled all over the world, but he is still very proud of his hometown: “I was born in Basel and I’ve always lived here. I love the interaction between Kleinbasel and Grossbasel, with the Rhine between them.” So he was even happier when he managed to repeat Toby Segar’s legendary jump at the Schifflände. “I am just really happy to be a part of Basel!”

Basel, by the way, is one of the most popular places worldwide for the parkour scene: “We have some of the best parkour spots in the world - the Heuwaage, the Zeughaus, the zoo and the Dreirosen bridge. I personally like training most next to the theatre, by the police station at the Schifflände, and at the Claramatte park.” Besides all that, thanks to Chris and his colleagues from Overground, the world’s first integrated training centre for Ninja warrior, parkour, calisthenics, trampoline, chase tag, big bounce and tricking has been developed in St. Johann, with a total area of 2,500 square metres.

Inhumanly primordial

When this ping-pong fanatic with Hungarian roots is not travelling around the world or jumping into the Rhine in the most spectacular manner imaginable, he likes to go swimming or high-lining. “I do a lot of things with my girlfriend and with my friends – the main thing is, I like to be on the go. I play football with elderly Hungarians on a regular basis too”, he grins.

If you ask Chris, he’ll tell you that with parkour and ninja warrior it’s not a case of superhuman, but much more, of inherently human strength: “Humanity have always been climbers who like swinging around. But while we were busy transforming the world into what it is today, this basic instinct got more and more lost; we have forgotten how much people are capable of”, but he is convinced that, “thanks to sports like parkour and Ninja we can recover these natural movements.” Chris used to think doing a somersault would be impossible. And nowadays? “Having to do a boring job!” He loves his flexible freestyler life too much for that. And yes: “Even if I had no hands, I would probably still jump around a lot. Worst case scenario, with prosthetic devices if necessary.” A superhero with superpowers. But absolutely human.