Two Red Bull wingsuit athletes have accomplished a world-first by executing a synchronised head-on crossing between the twin towers of Bahrain World Trade Centre.
Dani Román and Fred Fugen launched themselves from a Black Hawk helicopter at 4,000 feet above Manama, each descending at 135mph before converging at a combined velocity of 273mph.
The pair passed through the gap at precisely the same moment, separated by a mere 10 metres, equivalent to covering more than 120 metres every second.
Their flight path took them 40 metres above the building's distinctive wind turbines as they approached from opposite directions in a carefully choreographed manoeuvre.
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The feat, filmed last month in the Bahraini capital, followed two years of intensive preparation and more than 35 training jumps.
The concept for the project emerged during a 2022 trip to Bahrain, when Román and Fugen first laid eyes on the iconic twin towers and immediately recognised their potential for a synchronised flight.
What followed was an exhaustive two-year process encompassing permit applications, simulation work, technical mapping and extensive flight training.
Fugen, a French three-time world freeflying champion who has logged over 20,000 skydives and 1,500 BASE jumps, said: "For the past two years, we've been dreaming of crossing this building in synchronised flight."
Two Red Bull wingsuit athletes have accomplished a world-first by executing a synchronised head-on crossing between the twin towers of the Bahrain World Trade Centre
|GBNEWS/REDBULL
He added: "To imagine something we've never done before and then bring it to life here at this beautiful building - it's an unbelievable feeling."
The greatest difficulty lay not in navigating the corridor between the towers, but in ensuring both athletes arrived at the midpoint simultaneously.
Their preparation commenced in France, where the duo completed more than 35 practice jumps using a stationary drone positioned at 200 metres to replicate the crossing point and establish consistent reference lines.
GPS data from these sessions was subsequently mapped onto the Bahrain World Trade Center structure, before a second training phase in the Bahraini desert allowed them to adapt to local conditions alongside the helicopter crew.
The greatest difficulty lay not in navigating the corridor between the towers, but in ensuring both athletes arrived at the midpoint simultaneously
|GBNEWS/REDBULL
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The project came to fruition through substantial backing from the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority
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Without any digital instruments or live flight data, the athletes relied entirely on visual cues, physical sensation and instinct to match their speed and timing.
"We don't carry GPS systems or receive any aircraft-related information, so the only way to gauge speed is through the sensations in our bodies," explained Román, the Spanish athlete renowned for precision wingsuit and BASE projects.
The project came to fruition through substantial backing from the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, which secured permits and coordinated logistics in partnership with the Bahrain Olympic Committee and the local Red Bull team.
Román said: "It's difficult to accomplish something like this in other countries."
The achievement rested on a bond forged through years of flying together.
|GBNEWS/REDBULL
He added: "The support we received from the people and authorities here, and their openness to this project, was incredible."
Beyond the technical planning, the achievement rested on a bond forged through years of flying together.
Fugen said: "We spend far more time together on the ground than in the sky, so it's crucial that our communication is excellent.
"It's a matter of friendship and having fun together."
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