Legendary extreme athlete who jumped from the stratosphere and broke the sound barrier has died

On Thursday, July 17, Austrian extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner died during a paragliding flight in Italy. This was reported by UNN with reference to Daily Mail.

Details

The tragedy occurred as a result of an accident in the Italian city of Porto Sant'Elpidio, in the Marche region.

It is noted that the 56-year-old athlete lost control of his paraglider and crashed into a hotel complex's swimming pool.

According to local media, after the impact, Baumgartner immediately lost consciousness and suffered cardiac arrest. A woman who was hit during the fall was also injured, but her condition is not serious.

Addition

Felix Baumgartner is an Austrian extreme athlete who gained fame for his daring jumps from heights, including skyscrapers, helicopters, and hot air balloons. He rose to prominence in 1999 when he jumped from the highest bridge in the world – the Millau Viaduct in France – and also from the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, which brought him fame in the base jumping and skydiving communities.

Baumgartner's most famous achievement was his stratospheric jump on October 14, 2012, as part of the Red Bull Stratos project.

He ascended in a capsule to an altitude of almost 39 kilometers and jumped in freefall, accelerating to over 1350 km/h – becoming the first person to break the sound barrier without technical assistance. The event was broadcast worldwide and became not only a spectacular record but also an important experiment for science and aerospace medicine.

Recall

In India, the world's oldest marathon runner, Fauja Singh, died at the age of 114 after being hit by a car. He started running at 89, finished nine marathons, and was a torchbearer at the 2012 Olympic Games.